So today was a bit of a wash. I originally had several movie-destinations planned, complete with corresponding wardrobes for each destination. However, the hotel that I stayed at in Depoe Bay last night continued to disappoint, with the people in the room next to mine staying up until 3 am and blaring I don’t even know what on their tv…Sci fi? Horror? Human Sacrifice? The noises coming from that room were terrifying, and I couldn’t sleep a wink. Worse…the people on the room to the other side of mine decided to wake up and start their day at 6 am. So, I got pretty much no sleep, in a hotel that I was already starting to hate, and when I realized that the morning breakfast there was ‘fair trade oatmeal,’ I decided to book it out of there at 8 am. Even the lady checking me out glared at me while I did so, like she knew that I wasn’t appreciative of her multiple face piercings and her nasty oatmeal. Good riddance! Never staying at that place again.

Anyways, exhausted, I resolved that I wouldn’t be doing a full day, but just focusing on The Goonies locales. So that would bring me to Cannon Beach and Astoria. I even bought a re-creation of the Truffle Shuffle shirt to mark the occasion, and I have been pumped for weeks waiting to wear this baby!

So with me tired, but oozing confidence from my Truffle Shuffle shirt, I headed up to Cannon Beach, where I hoped to have breakfast and take in the iconic seascape that has been used in The Goonies, Twilight, Point Break, and who knows how many other big name Hollywood features. I definitely saw the iconic beach, but I could not for the life of me find a decent diner cafe anywhere along the Oregon Coast. It was all bakeries, coffee shops, breweries, pot shops, fast food spots, and seafood and clam chowder joints. Oh and the Tillamook dairy, of course (that was actually kind of cool to see, but the town of Tillamook reeks of manure). In fact, I feel like a short aside is needed here. Oregon Coast – you gotta branch out a bit, buddy! It doesn’t need to be all coffee, marijuana, and clam chowder. There are so many other restaurant and business options that you are missing out on, that you could stage clearly right off the 101, and that I know people like myself would enjoy! Like…a diner or a pasta place would be great. Yeah!

Though unable to find a great breakfast spot in Cannon Beach, I at least snapped a photo of the famous seascape, and then pushed further north to Astoria.

I’m not sure what I was expecting in Astoria. I think I just knew of it as a grunge-era hipster town that was known for The Goonies and a song by The Ataris, and I thought they would have some pride for the movie that was filmed there. I thought people would get all excited over The Goonies shirt and I could have some fun in the town. But when I arrived, it’s like the whole town shunned me! Like everyone I bumped into or tried to interact with in the local shops and restaurants would look at my shirt and then proceed to treat me like I was water trash. Like my tacit acknowledgment that this movie was filmed in their town was somehow offending them greatly. Also, the places that I visited in Astoria had very strict Covid rules, to the point where they were still largely closed and takeout only. I walked around town for a bit, decided to grab a coffee and small breakfast at this really great coffee shop (they seriously had insanely delicious coffee), and then getting bored and unsure what to do, I just made the executive decision to push onward to my next destination.

As I pushed away from the Coastal/Astoria/Portland region of Oregon and into central Oregon, things immediately began to look more familiar. The towns looked old western style, like Red Bluff, and had statues of cowboys instead of Bigfoot. In one town, I even saw a country diner, and in another a Shari’s! How about that! And the place where I am now staying (Silverton) just feels more down to Earth and like home. Time to relax in an area bar and grab a nice dinner! I bet the locals even think my Truffle Shuffle shirt is cool beans.

Cheers,

Rob