Goonies, a movie that we both grew up with and loved was mostly filmed on the Northern Oregon coast. And the Goonie house still stands in Astoria, OR. Since we were headed up Hwy 101 and passing right through Astoria, how could we not stop? I mean, Goonies never say die. So we made camp at the lush, mossy green Fort Stevens State Park and set out to see the sights. Turns out Astoria has a lot to offer, so during our four days stay we:
- Hopped aboard the quaint Astoria Riverfront Trolley to learn all about the importance of this town in managing the entrance to the Columbia River, where ocean-going ships travel up the Oregon coast to Portland
- Wound our way up the 164 steps of the Astoria column (twice!) to take in magnificent views and throw small wooden airplanes from its deck. It was such a fun sight to watch the small planes catch an updraft and soar for five to six minutes before spiraling down to the soft grass below. The kids couldn’t get enough, hence climbing it twice.
- Piloted our Jeep across a few miles of Pacific beach, one of the few places along the West Coast where beach driving is legal. It might have been the most fun that our youngest had the entire trip. Don’t worry grandparents, the pictures make it seem like we’re going much faster than our actual 5ish mph.
- Ran circles around and through the now retired military batteries that dot the coast near the Colombia River bar.
- Spent a rainy day in the touristy but cute local shops and mall, riding an old-fashioned carousel and eating pizza.
- Used another rainy day to see all things Goonies, including a stop into the jail featured in the movie, which is now the Oregon Film Museum. Though she’s yet to see Goonies, our oldest faithfully acted out a few scenes, which led to great laughs for us – “Bullet holes Mikey!”
- Explored the Columbia River Maritime Museum, which is an expansive place and included everything from captaining a river tug to walking the staterooms of the Lightship Columbia, a floating lighthouse from the 50’s.
From Astoria it was a trip across the long bridge into Washington state.
Next stop: Olympic National Park, WA!
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