And the winner of Gadling’s Perfect Road Trip Contest IS….

Scott F, with the perfect road trip through the American Northwest. After a tumultous week of voting where we first thought that Jon would win with his journey though the Florida Keys and then Patrick surged forth with his tech savvy trip through the American Southwest, Scott finally pulled through to claim the victory and win his perfect trip.

Our lucky winner will receive free flights, accomodation and expenses during his journey through the northwest, starting in Portland, driving through the Cascade Mountains and up into the high desert of Oregon.

Don’t think that you’ve heard the last of the Perfect Road Trip contest though. In addition to Scott’s dispatches from the road, we’re also sending a Gadling blogger on the same itinerary to document the journey, capture the landscape and report from the pavement on your best-voted candidate. So stick around and find out why the American Northwest is Perfect Road Trip, why the Cadillac SRX is the perfect vehicle for the job and most of all, for you next chance to win something fabulous at your favorite blog, Gadling.com

Vote for the winner of Gadling’s Perfect Road Trip contest!

It’s finally here. After hours of careful deliberation, turmoil and drama, the editorial team at Gadling has selected FIVE fantastic candidates to win the Perfect Road Trip Contest.

You’ll recall that together with Cadillac, Gadling is sponsoring the Perfect Road Trip Contest to send one lucky winner (and guest) on a fantastic, all-expense-paid road trip trip of their design — in an all new Cadillac SRX. So the stakes are high and the competition heavy.

But it’s up to you to select the winner.

Take a read through the entries below and vote on your favorite at the bottom of the post. We’ll collect votes until 5PM on Thursday, August 6th, and announce the winner on the following Friday morning.

Entry #1: Key West, Florida — Jon
Three words. Over Seas Highway. Where else can you drive 105 miles of Islands linked together?

A surprise for my wife’s birthday, we would fly to colorful Miami to start our trip. A quick trip over to soak up some sun in South Beach will get us started (windows down, sunroof open, Latin Jazz blaring from the stereo.) Time to head south. Continue reading —>

Entry #2: The American Northwest — Scott
My perfect 2-day road trip:

Fly in to Portland, OR with my wife and daughter and pick up my new SRX. From the airport, stop and get some coffee and bacon donuts at Voodoo Donut in Portland and then drive through wine country in the Yamhill valley and head straight to the coast. We’d play on the beach and enjoy fresh seafood in Newport before heading south along the beach, with me enjoying the curves and AWD while wife and daughter enjoy the comfortable ride and great stereo. Continue reading —>

Entry #3: The American Southwest — Patrick

Timing is everything. It is just possible if we leave on September 10th early from Denver International Airport, headed with a beeline South for New Mexico, to experience the opening night of Fiestas de Santa Fe, complete with the burning of the Zozobra, while also getting a chance to seek out some of the most rare and exciting locales in the US. Let’s get started! I have saved a map on Google so you can follow along on our journey. Continue reading —>

Entry #4: Nashville to New Orleans — JR

This is a Cadillac we’re talking about. An American icon, immortalized in songs like Vince Taylor’s rockabilly classic Brand New Cadillac .

So when my baby drives up in a brand new Cadillac, there is only one perfect drive: Nashville to New Orleans. How Cadillac is that? For any Cadillac, this road trip would be a rite of passage; for a brand-new one like our SRX, it’s a baptism of the highest order. Continue reading —>

Entry #5: San Francisco to the Central Valley — Sylvan

The trip starts in San Francisco. Head over the Golden Gate bridge to get a spectacular view of the Marin headlands. Continue along Hwy 1. As you descend to the coast, the road hugs the the hills and affords a spectacular view of the Pacific. Continue to Point Reyes Station. Cowgirl Creamery is headquartered here, and they run a small cantina. Stop for some of their spectacular Clabbered Cottage Cheese and Red Hawk cheese. There are a couple small bakeries lining the main strip in the town; stop in to grab some scones to accompany your Cowgirl goodies. Continue reading —>

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Want WiFi in your car?

Imagine being to work or surf the internet from the passenger seat on a road trip. Imagine driving to some remote destination and being able to and blog about it, or check your scores, or Skype your girlfriend, or whatever you do just by being in or near your car! Welcome to the future, readers. Autonet Mobile has arrived.

This April 10 — April 18 at the New York Auto Show, the Cadillac CTS Sports Sedan will debut with full roaming internet access. Holy rolling hotspot!

Autonet Mobile is already available as a dealer-installed option for all new and used Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles across the US, but this new partnership with Cadillac includes the company’s latest generation mobile router, a new smaller unit that allows consumers to easily transfer it from car to car via a new docking station.

Cadillac WiFi by will be available nationwide starting in April, and subscription plans start at $29 per month.