Monday, August 2nd, 2021

I’m going to work backwards today on how THIS went, because I am so frustrated and angry right now that it may be better to just start from my evening first. I mentioned to yall yesterday that my a/c went out. No idea what it is, mileage, age of the car, she’s had all of her tune ups- could just be she needed a recharge. I was on my way to Cannon Beach, thought I would get the sunset there, and low and behold I see an AutoZone. Great! So I decide that not dying in my hot box of a car is smarter than going to the beach, so I go and buy a can for recharging my a/c. I ask them if they can show me how to use it… they aren’t authorized but they send me to a Dealership. I run there, meet a very nice man named Jody, who tries to put it in, said it doesn’t fit the nozzle, I need an adaptor.  Go back to AutoZone he tells me and find an adaptor or return the one I bought and buy an entirely new one. Ok. I do this. They don’t have an adaptor. None of the other cans fit it. He tell me to go back on the other side of town to NAPA Auto Parts. So I drive all the way over there…they don’t have any of the A/C cans at all.  Near tears at this point, I just give in to my pity party, buy ice cream Dibs, and go back to my amazing hotel room for tonight’s sunset and just cry over the fact that this is my nightmare come true. My top two were getting sick and having car troubles…and here they are both in the same week. It makes the fun stuff hard to enjoy, I am trying, but God this is hard alone. So I am not sure what I am going to next besides bake in my car until I find a dealership which will be hella expensive or a can that works. So that was my last 3 hours.

Before that? I drove up the 101 for 4 hours, through lush forests and along waters edges, across towns like South Bend which is labeled the “World’s Best Clams” or something like that. I came into Astoria so excited for all of the Goonies excitement, and up until this evening, it was pretty good I have to say.  I got to see the jail where they house the Oregon Film Museum, some movie props in here but best known for the very first scene in the movie, where Fratellis are in jail. Yep, filmed right in that jail cetll, pretty cool.  Not much else here, some scenes you can film for yourself, not really my thing when you are traveling solo. You can purchase a ticket for just here, which will take you all of 30 mins to tour, grab some merch, and that’s about it OR the combo ticket which includes the Heritage Museum and the Flavel House. I bought the combo, it was cheap for $16.

The Flavel House is located right across the street, and is an easy, self-guided tour. You must show your combo ticket at the carriage house FIRST before entering the home, but once you do that, they give you a calling card to enter the premises.  Photos without the flash allowed, two floors to tour. Beautiful home, and it took about 45 minutes to tour. This is ALSO a Goonies location, in the beginning of the film, Mikey and his friends bike down a hill and past his Dad working at the local Museum- which is THIS!  Pretty cool.

Next location I found was the bowling alley that Chunk watches the car chase speed by…where he smashes his soda on the glass while watching them go by.  Then there is the intersection where the housekeeper is trying to cross, right in front of the Coffee House downtown on their main street. I haven’t gotten to Mikey’s house yet, again, half my day was eaten up by the drama above. Maybe tomorrow.

I then found parking at their Maritime Museum, bought the ticket to look around inside, it was ok, not that into boats but was curious.  Toured the one docked behind the Museum, got super queasy on it, I do NOT know how they stayed in tight quarters like that, the air was so thick and there was just zero space. Since I had a good parking spot, I decided to get lunch and walk downtown to make the most of the area.

The Coast Guard

I ate at Mo’s where I had the BEST Clam Chowder of my life thus far, with a side of fries. I enjoyed looking at all of my pictures, the view on the water, the Mountains, the amazing bridge I had traversed on the way over here (WHICH BY THE WAY IS IN THE MOVIE- SHORT CIRCUIT)and that was the last time I relaxed today. LOL I toured the downtown area, shopped a bit, and then headed to the hotel to check in.

The City Trash Cans are Cans of Fish

WOW. The view from this Hotel was everything I had hoped it would be, and even though there is no a/c, it is 55 here overnight lately, and I have a screen door to keep open all night to enjoy the cool air. Plus, this girl ALWAYS brings a fan and a cold pack.  I dropped off my stuff, after hauling up my heavy suitcase again a flight of stairs (no elevator), and enjoyed a moment with the view and room before changing and heading out for the next half of my day.

I headed to “The Astoria Column” which is pretty much a lighthouse without the light on top. Built in 1926 to celebrate the discovery, settlement, and adventure of the West, you can walk up its winding 164 steps to the top to take in the most breathtaking view ever.  I was quite proud of myself of not only doing it, but not dying while doing it since I am still recovering from the ick of my cold. It’s stuff like this that I feel I need to do while I am here, it’s not going to help me being fully well in a couple of days and I am a State away…I just muddle through so that I don’t have regrets later. You can purchase a glider for $1 and fly it from the top of the Column to those below- cute tradition they have had going for years. Just reopened July 1^st after Covid, this is a must see for spectacular views- both from the top and on the grounds themselves if you don’t wish to walk it.  It IS a narrow staircase, but you can’t see up or down while using them, so for those with a fear of heights like myself, you will be fine. It is more closed in than let’s say St. Augustine lighthouse in Florida where the stairs hug the walls- there is no center to look down on this- the staircase occupies the entire space of the column. Basically a staircase to a great view and back down. $5 to park here, and the drive to this is INSANE!  All I can say is that Ellie and I are prepared for San Francisco, and even that I have Kelly driving for so just in case. The hills here are STEEP! At one point coming back down, I couldn’t see over my dash to see where I was going because the road just dropped off. You get used to it after a couple of them, but thank God they don’t have any stop signs or lights as you ascend or everyone would be rolling backwards. Yeah, I’m not kidding. Look at the pics

The view from the Column

After the Column is when all hell broke loose with the attempted a/c fix.  I continued writing this the next day because I was so stressed last night that I just had to sleeping pill it and try to forget that half of the day. It’s a new day and I am going to take Ellie into a quickie Oil change place and see if they can fix it, and if they can’t, I guess a dealership will be next. I have a lot here I want to do, so if I can’t squeeze it in today, I will work on it later in this State or Idaho. Trying to roll with the punches and just breathe. Just being sick and car troubles in the same week while trying to enjoy something that was high on my bucket list has been a challenge- pray for me, think good thoughts for me, the hardest part is being alone to deal with it.  Adventure is out there right? See you tonight.

Thank you for YOUR kindness when I needed it most.

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Published by Amy Joy

Inspiring adventure and joy, one day at a time. View all posts by Amy Joy