STORY & PHOTO BY: ROBERT STOPPER, LYONS
As Greg
Dunning from Auckland, New Zealand hoisted his 17 foot kayak from the fast-
rising Erie Canal waters in Lyons, NY on Friday evening June 7, 2013, he
realized that his destination might be more than just a few days away. Greg
left Manhattan on May 24. After exiting the Erie Canal, he plans to kayak
across Lake Erie and eventually arrive in Detroit, Michigan sometime in mid-
August.
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| Greg Dunning at Lyons' North Dock |
Greg is no
stranger to kayaking. According to Greg, “I have kayaked the Mississippi River,
but right now, this Erie Canal is something else! Hopefully I am ahead of the
hurricane!” According to Greg, “It has really been an adventure: I did not
expect the closed locks 7-17, the
cross wind on the Hudson River, and the fierce, rain- driven wind and swells on
Oneida lake. I usually paddle at a rate of 6 kilo (3.75mph), but because of the
storm and sudden rise and swift current carrying all sorts of debris, I am only
averaging about 4 kilo (2.5 mph) …. But is has been a great adventure so far! I
look forward to going around each bend- everything along the canalway is so
interesting”
Why the
trip? Greg is on a mission. He is on a fund raising paddle for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
disease research. His daughter is a
Medical Researcher at Columbia University.
Like so many
boaters and kayakers, Greg did not begin his trip of the Erie Canal without
serious study. He has read and followed many boater blogs. One of the blogs
that he followed was that of Glenn Charles and Richard Harpham. Richard and Glenn were members of the “I Love
New York” sponsored Spare Seat Kayak
Expedition that paddled the Erie Canal just one year ago!
So- Greg
lives in New Zealand. He learned much about the New York State Erie Canal by
following a blog written by Richard and Glenn who live in England. As a
kayaking tourist travelling the flooded waters of the Erie Canal through
Wayne County, NY., he is writing a blog for his homeland and the rest of the world to read- Publicity
and Tourism at its best! Thanks Greg! To
follow Greg on his adventures, go to http://mussel-man.blogspot.com/2013_06_01_archive.html
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