A whale of a tale, or all true?

Start Your Treasure Hunt

Read the full story now or take your own trip to Oregon and follow the clues in person.

One of the original Goonies has surfaced (Chunk), and he claims he and his friends were the inspiration for the movie! He was part of a gang called the “Seaside Boys” who found a doubloon, pursued where it led, and discovered treasure. Though it seems to be a “whale of a tale”, it might just be true. If you are a “Goonies fan”, this is a scavenger hunt to find the movie shooting locations and decide if there really was some historical basis for the story.  You can even do it from your own home. The scavenger hunt is called “A whale of a tale”.

Your hunt will include buying a doubloon replica.  Going to Ecola state park, reenacting how the boys triangulated the treasure, seeing the structure that became the Fratelli hideout, and noticing the other shooting locations.  There you might also find where real pirate treasure was buried.  In Astoria you will search for Mikey’s “Goonie House” and the other shooting locations, including the jail and the Flavel Museum.  The most important addition may be the spooky “Astoria Underground” which inspired many of the underground scenes in the movie.

The biggest quest is to validate Chunk’s story.  In Seaside Oregon (between Astoria and Ecola State Park) he said he buried his part of the treasure. Did he tell just “A whale of a tale, or if it was all true”? Following Chunk’s claims will make the movie more memorable and meaningful. Unfortunately, he discovered a moral to the movie not known: “ill-gotten gains do not profit.” “Goonies: a whale of a tale” tells the unknown story behind the movie.