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| Julie Homes exiting Lock 27 in Lyons on the Erie Canal |
In the late
rainy afternoon of Saturday September 7, 2013, Julia rowed her dory around the
bend in the Erie Canal and quietly docked in Lyons, NY. Before darkness settled
in, she pitched her tent on the grass behind the fire station, a safe and
protected area used by many kayakers, canoeists, and bikers.
Many years
ago, Julia had read the journals of her great, great, great, great, great
grandfather, Richard Price Morgan. He spoke about his travels by water and by
horse from the Hudson River, to Lake Erie, down the Ohio River, and ending in
New Orleans. Those journals and writings
fueled Julia’s quest for adventure, and as time went by, Julia knew, “Now is
the time… I gotta do it…. Grandpa did
not have the Erie Canal, but I do!”
In
preparation for her journey, Julia purchased a kit from the Chesapeake Light Craft Company and built a 17 foot long dory in the confines of her
apartment in Brooklyn. Upon completion, with help from friends, the dory was
turned on its side and carried outdoors. In late August, Julia launched her
self-made dory at Waterford and began her tour of the full length of the Erie
Canal, ending in Buffalo.
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| Julie traveling in her homemade dory! |
Julia
expressed that her experiences on the Erie Canal thus far exceeded her
expectations- the wilderness, the natural beauty, the friendly communities,
beautiful buildings from skilled artisans of yesteryear, and the uniqueness
around every bend of the waterway. According to Julia, “This waterway is a
unique and wonderful page from history- it really needs to be promoted and
experienced by more people.”
So who is
this Julia who can make such wonderfully bold statements? Julia is a fiction
author, novelist, a free-lance outdoor writer, and adventurer. Julia is a former associate editor of Rolling Stone Magazine. She presently is
a feature writer for Men’s Journal.
Hopefully
the Erie Canal and communities along the canal waterway have been an inspiration
to Julia for a feature article or even a novel. On behalf of Lyons and all the
communities along the Erie Canal, a special, “Thank you for visiting us” to
nationally known author and writer Julia Holmes!
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Anonymous Said,
love it! come back and row in Brooklyn - Newtown Creek is nice and flat :)
Posted on Thu Sep 19, 11:51:00 PM EDT
Unknown Said,
We had the privilege of meeting this adventurous young lady last Saturday night as she made our marina (Rose Island Yacht Club), her stopping point for the night. What a fascinating story she has to tell. We wish her well and look forward to following her as she continues her journey to New Orleans! Best wishes from Kentucky!
Posted on Mon Oct 26, 08:28:00 AM EDT
Hannan Aslam Said,
Your content is shows potential, m gona add this to my bookmarks. call for arts
Posted on Fri May 25, 06:04:00 AM EDT