Originally Posted by TakeMeToEZE
Portland is only a short drive from Seattle (about 2 hours if you drive like I do, maybe 2.5 if you drive the speed limit). If you have the time to do it then it would probably be worthwhile.
If it's a scenic drive you're looking for, you can always drive up the WA coast. I've only lived here in SEA for a short while so haven't done that yet but I've heard several times that the coastal drive is really pretty. I believe it's Highway 101 that runs up the coast.
Two-hours to Seattle would be record time for me and I'm a fairly fast driver. I would estimate this drive at three-hours, depending on where in PDX to where in Seattle. Seattle is awesome, though, so I would definitely recommend it if anyone has time. Also, you should be forewarned that you'll find more acceptance of gay people in rural Alabama than you will in Southwest Washington. This area is extremely conservative (as evidenced, in part, by the big "Uncle Sam" billboard in Centralia). There's really no reason to stop between the Oregon border and Olympia, anyway, so this shouldn't be an issue.
I haven't done the Southern parts of the Washington coast but I loved the Northern coast. It's not as scenic as the Oregon coast but it's much more remote and there are very cool sidetrips available in the rainforest.