Like many of you kindred spirits out there, when I was a kid, I dreamed of finding a mysterious map in my attic or in a hidden trunk in the basement. I imagined going on a daring adventure, solving puzzling clues, thwarting booby traps, and finding hidden treasure. Naturally, The Goonies is one of my favorite movies. How I longed to join that group of close friends as they followed an ancient trail of clues to pirate treasure! It truly captured my imagination.
Recently I was in the Pacific Northwest and decided to embark on a Goonies pilgrimage.
As with the Goonies themselves, my first stop was the Goonies house in Astoria, Oregon! It was a gorgeous, rainy day, just like in the movie.
Data's house stood next door:
I next drove down into the historical part of Astoria to see the museum where Mikey's dad worked:
The jail that Jake Fratelli escaped from stood across the street:
The pizza parlor where Chunk witnesses the Fratelli car chase is a corner store:
Next I journeyed out to the seashore, to Cannon Beach. Just offshore stand the sea stacks that matched the notches in the doubloon:
From this same viewpoint is the area where the restaurant set was built:
Inland lies the road where the Goonies rode their bikes toward the sea:
My Goonies pilgrimage ended at Goat Rock State Park in California, where the Goonies emerged from the cavern by the sea. In the distance stood the rocks that One Eyed Willy's ship sailed past:
RETURN TO ALICE HENDERSON'S WEBSITE
posted 11:39 PM