A Goonie Day
Today was a day. An amazing day. It rained all night last night and into the morning, but today, the sun came out. After warm showers in the RV, a dog walk and a delicious homemade breakfast, we ventured out to find some good Americanos and some tasty locally baked treats. We turned around 5 times looking for Three Cups Coffee House. We finally found it, but it seemed a little too mainstream for our taste, if that’s even possible in this tiny town, so we decided to check out Alley Cat’s Espresso, a non-profit coffee shop that benefits a no kill shelter. We were able to find this one, so we thought. We pulled up to an empty store front and I went next door to inquire and found out that it had moved, so we ventured back to the Astoria Coffeehouse and Bistro where we had dinner the night before.
It was getting late in the day and we were trying to see the Goonies house, so we just went back to old faithful. Their chocolate cake from the night before was so moist and overly generous with chocolate icing so we knew the baked goods were going to be quite delicious. With our Dopio Americanos, pumpkin bread and coffee cake in hand, we ventured to the Goonies house.
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| Astoria Coffee House and Bistro |
I took some back roads so we could see something other than the main strip of Astoria. As we were driving by little victorian houses delicately placed on the steep hills, on this stunningly sunny day, with the windows down, I heard something in the distance. It sounded like lots of dogs barking so I slowed down to listen (an instinct from running a pet sitting business for 9 years) and suddenly I realized the noise we had heard were indeed... sea lions, not dogs. Maybe a hundred of them, all talking to each other and making a fuss. The sound was traveling up the hill from the Columbia River where they were all sunbathing on the docks. I was ecstatic. I parked the car and jumped out. We were directly across from their perch high up in the air so we could see them and Nick busted out the binoculars. We stood there, taking in the moment, grabbed a few picturesque pictures and continued on our way to the Goonies house.
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| Me making a weird face at Nick. |
After another few dead ends and U-turns we finally approached the Goonies House sign. We parked and walked up the tire worn gravel road to the promised land. As we got to the top it looked like a house like any other house.
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| The owner of the house was super nice. |
There was a little donation box and a small sign on the side of the house that said “The Goondocks”. That was all that differentiated this house from any other house. But this was a house where dreams were born. So many dreamers of our generation have a profound connection to this house and the characters that started their journey here. (That’s why 15,000 people a year come to see this house and just stare at it).
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| Can you believe this house was vacant for years before the current owners bought it? |
The Goonies’ journey of persistence and determination that they followed through with, against all odds and won most triumphantly (because as we all know GOONIES NEVER DIE) has shaped a generation of 80’s babies from a young age. Every one of us wants to live that story. We are the underdogs, the freaks, the nerds, the punks, the fat kids, the Sloths of the world. We are the dreamers. And this house represents the birthplace of our dreams; the beginning. It represents HOPE and possibility. Possibility that what seems impossible can actually be reality. I am a Goonie!! I never give up when I set my mind on something. Maybe that’s why I’m traveling the country in a 33’ motorhome without musicians to find my place in the musical world. There’s something in me that just can not give it up, even though it would be easier and more comfortable to live in a house and stay in one place, and work a steady job, I just can’t.
After reflecting at this sparkly magical site, we made our way back to the car at the bottom of the gravel road and back into the flat world of reality. What eased my heartache at walking away from this place was the thought of the sea lions.
We drove down the windy hills back to the base of the town at the waters edge. The call of the sea lions amplified as we got closer. We had to grab a hot beverage to combat the crisp air of the wet fall winds on the water, and we stopped into the Astoria Coffee Roasters and grabbed another Americano... to share. The coffee guy was awesome and chatted us up as you’d expect any small business owner in a small town to do. He gave us the lowdown on the Sea Lions across the street. Most of them are displaced males and they are there everyday for 10 months of the year. They go south for the summer during breeding season apparently. Our friendly caffeine dealer also told us to ignore the “Do Not Enter” signs and said we can walk out on the pier, no problem. This was all good to know.
We took the walk across Route 30 and out onto the private pier to gape at the congregation of rejected sea lions; the underdogs of the sea. They were amazing. A constant choir of barking filled the air that rose and fell with testosterone driven arguments that seemed to erupt out of nowhere. A constant musical chairs of sorts was going on, where sea lions were jumping in and out of the waters trying to find an open space to soak in the rays of the coy sun peeping in and out from behind the clouds.
We had the pleasure of watching a few of the tenants of the boats pass through the crowd of furry finned mammals that had taken over the piers. A game of cat and mouse ensued. I’ve never been chased by a bull sea lion and I would not like to be, but watching from a distance, it was hilarious to see the big burley seamen back away from 300 pounds of snarl and bark. The men raised their hands above their heads trying to make themselves appear bigger but this bull-headed bull wasn’t backing down that easily. This went on for several minutes until the sea lion decided to walk out on the pier and clear a walking path for the men. The men ran by quickly and the sea lion barked after them. He seemed a bit upset for a while after they passed and kept looking down the walkway huffing and grunting.
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| I took this shot as we were leaving the docks. How amazingly Random is it? Rainbows, there are rainbows in my photo!!!! |
Yet agian, it was difficult to pull myself away from this moment, but our last expedition of the day was calling us. We had to get to the Point in Warrenton where the Columbia River runs into the Pacific Ocean before the sun set. We finished theis day of exploration by chasing the sun as it receded to the west and moved on to light the other side of the earth. We watched the silhouettes of storks flying in formation against the orange backdrop as we sat on the jagged gray rocks of the jetty. There was a sense of harmony in the endless crashing of the waves against the protected shores. The day was so wonderful that I couldn’t look away from it until it’s last little glimmer had gone out.
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