This Memorial Day weekend one of my dearest friends from college, Melanie, came to visit. It was her first time visiting in Oregon, and since she is a fellow Goonies fan, of course we did a Goonies tour!
Every good adventure starts with a REALLY good breakfast, so our first stop was at Camp 18. Camp 18 is an old logging camp where they serve up a breakfast fit for a logger. We started out by splitting one of their famous giant cinnamon rolls between the four of us. Soon after, they brought out our food which consisted of a plate full of “flatcars”, eggs, bacon, an omelette, and a waffle with all the toppings. After eating, we wandered the grounds exploring all the really cool old logging equipment.
After fueling up on our delicious breakfast, our next stop was sort of an unplanned one, but a really great one! I had never been to Ecola State Park, and this is supposedly the spot where the Goonies run into the Fratelli’s hideout (the restaurant) and begin their incredible underground adventure. It is also where Mikey holds up the pirate doubloon that turns out to be a clue to One-Eyed Willy’s whereabouts.
There is a really great view from here of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, also known as Terrible Tilly, and for a good reason. Death and mayhem surround this once sentinel of the sea claiming the lives of many. After being decommissioned as a lighthouse in 1957, it became a columbarium, a place for urns to be stored, in 1980. In 1999 the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board took away its license, however there are said to be urns still housed inside Tilly.
Next we stopped at Cannon Beach, home of Haystack Rock, which is also another famous Goonie sight. This is the rock you see One-Eyed Willy’s ship sail out of at the end of the movie. We took some time to walk down the beach to explore the tidepools and search for sand dollars, and we actually found some that weren’t broken!
We also made a quick stop at the Peter Iredale Shipwreck in Warrenton, Oregon. It ran ashore in 1906, and while there is not much left, it sure makes for some cool photos.
Our final destination of the day was Astoria, Oregon, home of the Goonies! We kicked off our visit by climbing to the top of the Astoria Column. When you first walk into the column, you are greeted by a spiral staircase and a climb of 164 steps to get to the top. The reward is the absolutely breathtaking view of the town, the Columbia River, the four mile long Megler Bridge to Washington, and the gorgeous surrounding landscape. We purchased wooden airplanes at the gift shop to fly off the top, and Melanie’s plane totally flew the furthest!
Our Goonie tour continued by visiting the Flavel Mansion, where Mikey’s dad works, the jail where Momma and Francis Fratelli break out Jake Fratelli, photos by a replica of the Fratelli’s Jeep, and a peek of the Goonie House.
On our way out of Astoria, I saw this house on the side of the road and had to grab a quick photo. I love the hints of blue you can still see on this withered old home.
It was so fun having Melanie here and for the opportunity to show her a little bit of Oregon. It is always so fun to see places that are so familiar through new eyes, and I can’t wait for her to visit again so we can do some more exploring!
Melissa Whitney Photography 