Our first stop was the cozy, bright coffee shop, “The Press”, where we warmed ourselves with hot beverages. As we walked up the conifer-lined path to the abbey, we began to see signs of the sun poking through the soup. Angel in a dense fog and parked in the center of town. And, because Chemeketans are either uniquely blessed or plain lucky, only the last quarter mile of the hike/walk was wet. (Google it for the story and pictures of the boat, still afloat in the Multnomah channel near Scapoose.) The hikers were, Julia Westerberg, Roger King, Elizabeth Seibert, Marcia Kenagy, Nanci Chambers, Sylvia Dawson, John Maurice and leader Martin Doerfler, whose wife Carol joined in for a few miles. Ar KRP we took a series of unmarked but well traveled (by disc golfers) trails to the west boundary of the park where we were able to see from a distance the paddle wheels of the circa 1938 steam tugboat Jean, one of the last three steam boats plying the Columbia, Snake and Willamette rivers. Starting from River Road Park in Salem and braving a rainy weather forecast, eight optimistic Chemeketans walked just short of eight miles to four more Keizer parks - Wallace House, Sunset, Palma Ciea and the crown jewel, Keizer Rapids.

Walkers were guest Yael Lachman and members Martin Doerfler, Vera Langer, Roz Shirack, Marcia Hoak, Patty Baskin, Diana Gleason, and leader Elizabeth Seibert. We had, among us, a Czech, and two others with Czech-Slovak heritage. Our bellies full, we drove south of Scio to check out (excuse the pun) the Czech graves at Franklin Butte Cemetery. The old Czech hall is still on Main Street and has the Czech initials for the social organization on the sign. In the early 1900s, 170 Czech families lived in the Scio area. Having worked up an appetite, we headed south to Scio and the Covered Bridge Coffee House, which surprised us with excellent food and super service. Stayton has hidden gems, including a charming library, a couple of miles of idyllic paths near the river, well-maintained parks, a covered bridge right in town, historic houses, and a collection of NASA artifacts and photos. We walked about five miles in Stayton on the most beautiful February day imaginable.

Wallace the brave 22.12.19