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A man and his nephews paddle up the Willamette in the nostalgic spirit of Lewis & Clark. DAN DE CARBONEL Statesman Journal June 20, 2003 ST. PAUL — Nearing the halfway point on their journey down the Willamette River, the three travelers stopped for a rest at San Salvadore Landing after eight hours of paddling. Andy Linn of Salem and his two nephews, Cody Linn, 13, and Ryan Linn, 10, may be following a different Oregon river than Lewis and Clark did almost 200 years ago, but a similar spirit carried the boats north. “We’re trying to pack in as much adventure as we can into two days,” Andy said. “I always try and do something outdoorsy when they visit.” Cody and Ryan live in Houston and visit their grandparents in Madras each summer. Andy has taken the boys hiking and camping previously. But inspired by the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition and a recently acquired hobby of making canoes, Andy thought a trip from Salem to Oregon City on one of the nation’s longest north flowing rivers might be fun. The trio planned to camp at Yamhill Landing on Thursday night and feast on freeze-dried spaghetti. By campfire light, Cody and Ryan would document their trip in journals. They hope to complete the trip tonight by going through the Oregon City locks. They had the waterway pretty much to themselves Thursday, seeing a couple of anglers, a state crew testing water quality and an SUV stuck in some mud. They also saw a variety of animals including osprey, a river otter and a couple of dogs with their masters. Oregon’s “summer weather” came as a surprise to the two Texans. “It’s been pretty fun,” Cody said. “Yeah,” said Ryan. “But it’s too cold.” The boys have read “Huckleberry Finn” and “Tom Sawyer,” but those books didn’t prepare them for the rigors of paddling 30 miles in a day. It was hard work. Andy, 40, and the kids made their 15-foot canoe last week in Madras. Andy was paddling it while the boys kept up in smaller versions their uncle made earlier this year. All are made out of a 1/8-inch plywood and sealed with epoxy. “Madras has this reputation of not having anything for people to do,” said Andy. “But you can do anything. You just have got to think of it.” Years from now people may not name colleges, rivers or towns of the members of this this corps of discovery, but for Andy, Cody and Ryan, it will still be a pretty cool story to tell. Dan de Carbonel can be reached at (503) 399-6714.