I love my 3 on the Tree! I have fond(?) memories of learning to drive a manual in high school Driver's Ed on a 3-speed (can't remember the specific car though - just the stalling out and grinding of gears). Now I'm teaching my 17 year old the secrets. He and his friends think it's cooler than a floor shifter:p.
Where in Eastern Oregon are you? I'm in the Willamette Valley.