Before we could even get out onto the road this morning, I made Randy take a side trip back into Astoria, Oregon for "just one more thing..................."
We had heard that the movie "The Goonies" had been partially filmed in Astoria, and the old city jail and a house on 38th Street were used as film locations.
Mind you, I personally have never seen "The Goonies," at least not all the way through. My sightings of the movie were in quick snippets as I would walk by the door of the TV room and ask, "Whatcha watchin'?" and three voices would shout back, "The Goonies!"
These were not simple children, but they must have watched that movie every day of their childhoods. "The Goonies" was always the answer to my, "Whatcha watchin?"
So today I visited the Goonie Jail and the Goonie House for Philip, Meredith, and Stephen. And just in case you are a Goonie Fan, for you, too!
Now I post a map so you can see the Oregon coastline and Highway 101. This is only the northern part, as tonight we are in Florence, Oregon, at a great Comfort Inn on 101. We only drove about 150 mile all day! Do you see all of those little places written on the map that are marked with dots? We had to stop at most of them to look at the ocean scenery. Now you know why it took all day to go 150 miles. Also, some of this was very mountainous, and it was raining. If I could come up with another excuse, I would put it right here, but it would be a lie.
At Tillamook, we stopped off at the Tillamook Cheese Factory to see how they're making cheese these days. It's a self-guided tour with lots of samples, and we got into that line twice. Then we had lunch in their cafeteria, and followed that up with giant sized bowls of their creamy ice cream. I had one scoop, which was about 2 cups worth, and Randy had 3 (yes, 3!) scoops, which he had to carry to the car and finish as I drove. My mother stopped there in 1959, I remember, and just as she did then, I bought a large hunk of cheese for nibbling on the rest of this trip.
This has been a breathtaking day. My editorial comments will be reduced to just one: at Cannon Beach where Haystack Rock sits, I felt great sadness that "progress" has crept so close to the rock that some of its wild beauty is threatened. I know, I know............that was then, this is now..............but in 1959 that magnificent rock and its buddy were majestically reigning over the entire beach, and now it is surrounded by houses, hotels and shops. The rock itself is a rock. Nuff said.
It was pouring rain while we were at Cannon Beach, so if you see teardrops in the photos of Haystack Rock, they are rain drops............maybe.
For the rest of the day it was up, down, up, down..........in the car, out of the car, in, out, in, out...........stop, start, stop, start...........If only I had a movie of us and could see it in speed-motion, I am sure it would be fun to watch. But that's another story.....................
Before I put these photos on, I want you to know that I did not use Picasa to make any of them look black and white. If they look black and white, it is because of the rainy day, and that's just the way it looked........even I was surprised when I saw the screen.)
Sometimes it is better just not to speak, and to just shut up. So that's what I am going to do right now.
There just are no words.............. and that's why I will sign off, and just let you see the Oregon Coast, the best way I can show it to you, with my pictures..............it is beyond description, so why try?
Peace.
Photos copyright: KP Gillenwater 2013
