The Goonies, it all starts here.
Day 12 I left Portland via bus after having morning breakfast with my host Sarah. She has been fantastic and let me stay 3 full nights. She also gave me a lot of help with getting around the city, and locations to go regarding my bike gear. She will be travelling to Italy in August to do some biking before she starts her new job and I wish her the best in what she does. I hope our paths cross again. I took the 100 mile bus trip straight into Astoria and located my hotel for the night. The town is really pretty with a fantastic harbour front and plenty of clam chowder restaurants. If I liked sea food I would try it just because the name sounds funny. I went to Bar Alaska and stuck to pizza and chicken wings. I also had 3 pints of ice water as the wings had the title “Hottest Wings Ever”. They certainly lived up to this. I don’t mind spicy food but when it is so hot that it is uncomfortable It ruins the meal. Still if it’s paid for then it’s being eaten.
I took my bike for a ride around the town after lunch with my mouth wide open to try and quench the still lingering trauma I was suffering. Any film buff will tell you that Astoria is home of the 1985 childhood classic The Goonies. The town plays on this a little bit with Goonie tours and Goonie memorabilia. I found the jail house first where Mama Fratelli and her son broke the other son out. This is now a film museum for only one film. There are still props from the film inside like the coat and gadgets used by Data and the hook that Jake Fratelli hung himself on, still in the same jail cell that was used. Outside the building is the car that Mama drove, the “real neat ORV” complete with bullet holes.
Next stop was only across the street to the building that Mikey’s dad worked at and where he was raising the flag pole in the movie. The final stop was the crowning moment, Mikey’s house. The starting point of the film and location of most peoples favourite scene when Chunk performs his Truffle Shuffle. The house is actually lived in and you are not allowed to knock the door or drive a car up the hill to get to it. The sign at the bottom states, Goonies arrive by foot. The streets around the house all have signs up outside them saying “No Goonie Parking” so you have to park around ¼ mile away. I suppose after 30 years the constant tourists can get a bit much. Next door to Mikey’s is actually for sale. I won’t put an offer in just yet. For my evening ride I went up to the Astoria Column. Unfortunately the column itself was having some renovation work carried out and was covered with white sheeting but the view of Astoria, across to Washington and down the coast of Oregon is truly stunning. My iPhone camera didn’t do it full justice. The sun setting behind the bridge and lighting the water of the Colombia River is up there with the views of the Grand Canyon.
A local told me that Astoria was founded on the seal and beaver fur trade. This bought in more people. More people bought more money. More money bought saloons. Saloons bought loose women. Loose women meant a need for repent. A need for repent bought the church. Once the clergy turned up to cleanse the souls of the corrupted and saw all the booze, gambling and prostitution they wanted to know why they hadn’t been sent for sooner. I heard they were not bothered about the souls they didn’t get chance to save. They were more annoyed at the ladies and booze they had missed.