Hello Readers,

Eureka, California is the gateway to my latest trip.  I planned this trip because my 35th birthday is coming up and…well…I’m starting to feel old.  Like too old to be spending my time keeping up a travel blog old.  Like I feel comfy just checking in-and-out of work each day, cooking a reasonable meal when I get home, and going to bed early type of old.  Like it’s time to shake-things-up, but still too early for a mid-life crisis old. So, why not plan a trip to shake off some of these cobwebs and remind myself what it’s like to feel young again?

Unlike my previous trips, this trip is breaking rules. It isn’t a bunch of hiking. No, it has a theme. I even bought a selfie-stick for it, which I have learned looks like a mix between a lightsaber and something inappropriate. Yup, this trip’s going to be interesting.

The inspiration for this trip actually came while watching a documentary on Netflix about the Last Blockbuster. That’s right, there is only one Blockbuster Videos left on planet earth. It’s in Bend, Oregon, and I’m going to it in all its 1990s/early 2000s nostalgia! But more than that, I started thinking about all of the movies I knew as a kid that were filmed in Oregon. And I started to think about my life as a kid in Oregon. And I decided that this trip is going to be a celebration of all of the great movies and childhood haunts that I knew while growing up. It’s kind of amazing how many awesome 80s movies were filmed up here! Like…why was this such a popular spot for filmmakers during that time? And why did it stop being such a popular spot? Anyways, I’m going to go visit these iconic backdrops to major motion pictures and here’s the itinerary, which starts right now in Eureka, California:

Clam Beach – Eureka, California

The Forest Moon of Endor (Return of the Jedi) – Crescent City, California 

Otter’s Crest – Newport, Oregon

La Push Beach (Twilight) – Cannon Beach, Oregon

Castle Rock (Stand By Me) – Castle Rock, Oregon

Astoria (The Goonies) – Astoria, Oregon

Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival – Silverton, Oregon

The Overlook Hotel (The Shining) – Mt. Hood, Oregon

The Last Blockbuster – Bend, Oregon

So today’s stop was Clam Beach, which has sentimental memories to me as being the first beach I ever ran on in life and one of my favorite cross country meets during my high school years. I’m not going to lie, it’s really cold here right now (and a lot of this trip is supposed to be cold and stormy), but the nostalgia is running deep and I’m happy! I had the entire beach to myself today, the colors were these amazing stormy grays and light blues, the air smelled so clean and like the sea, and I cannot complain. Time to hit the hay. After all, I’m heading up to the Forest Moon of Endor in the a.m. and I can’t wait! Expect cheesy selfie photos!

Cheers,

-Rob