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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.   
Julie traveling in her homemade dory!
 When asked to recall one of her most unique experiences thus far on her journey, Julia spoke about rowing through the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge east of Clyde. Darkness was fast approaching. Her “headlamp” did very little except reflect off her shoes. She stopped for a few moments until her “night vision” took over, and then hopefully she would be able to see “night reflection” in the center of the canal. While waiting alone in the middle of the canal and in the middle of nowhere, Julia truly experienced the call of the wild: in darkness there is really great light, and in silence, the sound of critters in the water and the barking, yelping, and echoing of wildlife in the distance can be deafening, spine chilling, and very, very eerie! She was extremely happy and relieved when she finally saw the lights near Lock 26 in Clyde….
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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3 Comments to " Call of the Wild on the Erie Canal, Robert Stopper"

  1. 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

     
  2. 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

     
  3. 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

     

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