So I spent the weekend in Oregon. The first day, I visited some guys in Beaverton who I've known on the internet for years, but who I'd never met in real life before. Then I drove to Lincoln City and visited my aunt, who has a house that overlooks the ocean.
As much as I love to bitch and whine about the US, all the people I encountered were incredibly friendly. No one that I saw went over the 70 mph limit on the highway on the way back to Vancouver. One thing I did notice is that people change lanes alot, and will often jump 2 or even 3 lanes on one lane change. No one speeds, yet they manage to drive recklessly. Go figure
Being from Vancouver, I'm used to everything being way to fucking expensive. Gas, food, tolls... everything is expensive here. I went to a 7-11 in Beaverton and grabbed a 1 liter bottle of pepsi. $1.80 or something. I went to pay and the lady working the counter told me I should grab another one. $2.50 for two of em. Then I was expecting to get dinged another 20 something cents. Nope. I forgot there's no taxes in Oregon.
Costs me 35 bucks to fill my car up in Vancouver. 23 something in Oregon. And it's illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon, I guess because it's a job. Needless to say, I'm not used to getting waited on at a gas station.
If you want a cheap vacation, with quick access to the beach and easy navigation, go to the Portland/Beaverton/Lincoln City area. Beaverton is a little small, but it's near Portland.