1/15/26

Book: Walking the Erie Canalway Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer to Stop CMV


Walking the Erie Canalway Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer to Stop CMV

by Lisa Saunders

Discover "The 7 Wonders of the Erie Canalway Trail" between Buffalo and Albany through the images and anecdotes in Walking the Erie Canalway Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer to Stop CMV. An informative and humorous guide, it documents a couple of sedentary folks seeking to become 360-mile "end-to-enders." When Lisa and Jim commenced trekking across New York State on the Trail, they assumed walking a mostly level path would be easy – but there were challenges! They were chased by mosquitoes, biting flies, hissing geese and lightning. They endured torrential downpours, floods, ice, blinding snow, chafing underwear, swollen knees and aching feet. Despite it all, they found ways to persevere and enjoy the scenery, engineering marvels, and hospitality along the way. They were determined to become end-to-enders to raise awareness of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV), a leading cause of birth defects, by leaving "Stop CMV" rocks along the Trail in memory of their daughter.  

In addition to featuring the history of the Erie Canal, Lisa shares why and where her great aunt Rebecca’s body was found in the Canal in 1941. She also explains how anyone can take their own Canalway Challenge, ranging from one to 360 miles. For example, her mother completed the One-Mile Challenge in her wheelchair. Lisa's story and images, set to music, can be seen on Pac-B TV's YouTube channel at: "Hiking the Erie Canalway Trail, Vote on 7 Wonders, Stop CMV."

Biography of author
Lisa Saunders of Baldwinsville, New York, is a Canalway Challenge Ambassador and descendant of Erie Canal engineers.  Lisa earned her B.S. from Cornell University, is the author of several books, a speaker, and an interviewer for PAC-B TV.  She was instrumental in helping laws pass to combat the leading viral cause of birth defects, congenital CMV. Living along the Erie Canal, Lisa and her husband can still be found walking various sections of the Trail with other towpath travelers. 

Where the book can be purchased and/or an online link.
Available on Amazon (print and e-book): https://a.co/d/4KovOqE

More Information:
Lisa Saunders, Author/Presenter
 
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12/28/25

Jesus, Hanukkah, and proposed national and NY legislation to combat antisemitism



I didn't realize until recently that Jesus participated in Hanukkah (in English: "Festival of Dedication"), until I noticed John 10:22-39 (more about that below my signature.) For a six-minute video on how six Jewish hostages in Gaza celebrated Hanukkah in a Hamas tunnel, watch "Hanukkah's TRUE Meaning: The Ancient Spirit of Evil is BACK" (Behold Israel with Amir Tsarfati). 

HOW DID THIS CURRENT ANTISEMITISM HAPPEN?

I always wondered how German citizens could get so brainwashed and violent against Jews in the 1930-40s. When I visited Germany with a Jewish friend in the early 1980s, the elderly couple who welcomed us in their home kept apologizing to my friend about the Holocaust, saying they weren't aware of what was happening to the Jews. Whether or not their ignorance at the time was true, they  had been suffering devastating guilt for decades.

One way the Nazis promoted Jew hatred was to remove the Jewishness of the Bible: "Rejecting Christianity outright, the Nazis changed the Bible to fit their ends. First, Jesus was rebranded as Aryan...Nazi-era Bibles removed chunks of the Old Testament and edited the Gospels to eliminate references to Jesus’ Jewish heritage, his missional prioritisation of the Israelites, and his fulfilment of Hebrew scripture" (The Good Report).  

I wonder if the Nazis removed this comment by Jesus to the Samaritan woman in their Nazi-era Bibles: “we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.” (John 4:22). I wonder if the Nazis also removed how Gentiles are to view the Jews, made clear when Apostle Paul told them, “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew… Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God” (Romans 3:1–2). I'm guessing the Nazis spread the old lie that the Jews killed Jesus, but hopefully most know that Jesus said, "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father” (John 10:17-18). 

Ever since the Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct 7, 2023, I've seen antisemitism firsthand in the U.S. The day after the invasion,  I felt afraid in my own apartment complex while some of our neighbors loudly celebrated the massacre. I thought of King David's writings that urged me to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May those who love you be secure'"(Psalm 122:6). Afterall, the Lord had said to Abraham about his nation: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3). 

Regarding this resurgence in antisemitism, Mike Huckabee, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, had said, "Reckless and irresponsible reporting by major U.S. news outlets are contributing to the antisemitic climate that has resulted in the murder of two young people at an Israeli Embassy event in Washington last month and the attempted murder and terror attack on a group of pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado on Sunday. Without verification of any source other than Hamas and its collaborators...[Hamas] continues to terrorize and intimidate..." (Statement on Media Misinformation on Gaza, June 2025). 


Apostle Paul told Gentiles they are to help the Jews: 

"For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings” (Romans 15:27). Other than donating to some Jewish causes, the only thing I know to do is to ask my political leaders to support the following legislation:



National: Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025 (S558/ HR1007). It is "To provide for the consideration of a definition of antisemitism set forth by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for the enforcement of Federal antidiscrimination laws concerning education programs or activities, and for other purposes." To support this bill, click into it, and look to the right of the page where you will see "Give Feedback on This Bill." Click on Contact Your Member.
New York Residents: There are three antisemitic bills that I know of. You can click on, "Do you support this bill?") on all three:


  1. Senate Bill S6842: Relates to protections against anti-Semitism in the human rights law and the hate crimes statute
  2. Senate Bill S7034A: Enacts the "Honoring Our Pledge to Eliminate Antisemitism (HOPE) act 
  3. Senate Bill S531: Enacts the New York state antisemitism vandalism  

Because of the days we appear to be living in,  I've been reviewing Bible end-time prophecies, such as:  

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’”(Matthew 24:3) Jesus said, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places...Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world…and then the end will come”  (Matthew 24:7-14).


Are we experience sings of the "end of the age"? 

When Israel became a nation again on May 14, 1948, I believe it kicked off the end of the end times: “Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day?...For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children (Isaiah 66:8). "’I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them...they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,’ says the Lord your God" (Amos 9:14-15). 


Yet, nations will continue to attack Israel: “It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.” (Zechariah 12:3).


A Jewish podcaster about Israel shares why he believes current events indicate the end times: "NOW! Israel Is Ushering In The Messianic Era!!! (End Times Prophecy)" (J-TV: The Global Jewish Channel).


Below my signature are links for further study on Israel and Hanukkah.


Sincerely, 

Lisa Saunders
New York

About Jesus and Hanukkah: 
Apparently, the Catholic Bible and Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) include the Books of Maccabees, named after the family who led a revolt of Jewish rebels against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in 165 BC. Their victory allowed the Jews to reclaim their Temple in Jerusalem and light the Menorah in an eight-day Festival of Dedication. (According to the video, "The True Story of Hanukkah", assuming it's accurate, the story of the one-day supply of oil keeping the Menorah miraculously lit for eight days was an oral tradition written down hundreds of years later in the Talmud, the second most important Jewish text after the Hebrew Bible.)

Anyway, the New Testament says that Jesus was in Jerusalem during the Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah). While the Gospel of John does not explicitly state that Jesus "celebrated" Hanukkah, it suggests that he was involved with its significance by visiting the Temple. John 10:22-39 states: "Then the Festival-of-Dedication[a] took place in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. Then the Jews surrounded Him. And they were saying to Him, “How long are You keeping us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us with plainness”.  Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works which I am doing in the name of My Father— these are testifying about Me. However, you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice. And I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, ever. And someone will not snatch them out of My hand. What My Father has given to Me is greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of the hand of the Father. I and the Father are one[d]”.

Ever since Oct 7th, I've felt like I'm living in conditions similar to Nazi Germany -- except now, instead of the propaganda proclaiming Jesus was not Jewish, but Aryan, a Times Square billboard recently advertised, "Jesus is a Palestinian" (Forward,  Dec. 26, 2025). 

More on Israel: 
NOTE:
Some friends have asked me how to get a law passed about their particular cause, so I created the PowerPoint, "How to Get a Law Passed – even if you're not thin and famous!" You are welcome to click through the slides in case you find it helpful. I have also called and/or written by legislators about the following topics in case you are looking for a cause to tackle:
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11/24/25

Lisa's speaking and book topics

 

NEED A SPEAKER?



Hope and humor in every journey

Lisa amuses and inspires with stories ranging from her sailing disaster with a blind seafarer to walking across New York State on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail. She shares historic figures who show her the way to press on.

Speaker Topics


"Lisa’s talk was both informative and entertaining. I've never seen another speaker get the ladies so engaged and laughing.” Nancy Wilkie, Mystic Women’s Club

An award-winning writer and author of several books, Lisa Saunders shares the importance of recording experiences to improve mental health and show others how to make a difference. Lisa’s books may be in libraries or can be ordered at: www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001K7Z5AC. An interviewer for PAC-B TV, she is reached at LisaSaunders42@gmail.com


BOOKS BY LISA SAUNDERS

  1. Walking the Erie Canalway Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer to Stop CMV (2024)

  2. Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator (2013): A chubby city girl leaves the elevators and bullies of her apartment complex for her grandparents’ farm. Facing her fear of horses and outhouses, she finds a skinny friend who likes her just the way she is.

  3. Ever True: A Union Private and His Wife (2004): Civil War love letters reveal war's ever-present threat of death, scandals and infidelities. Also a "reader's theater."

  4. Had I Known about CMV (cytomegalovirus): From Shock to Law (2024)

  5. Shays' Rebellion: The Hanging of Co-Leader Captain Henry Gale (2013): The dramatic events leading up to the noose around Gale’s neck.

  6. After the Loss of a Spouse: From Henry VIII to Julia Child (Act II Publications, LLC, 2016)

  7. Mystic Seafarer's Trail: Secrets behind the 7 Wonders, Titanic's Shoes, Captain Sisson's Gold, and Amelia Earhart's Wedding (2012).

  8. Once Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting Tale (2016): When a young girl can't remember how to set the table, her grandmother teaches her to listen to the silverware.

  9. Surviving Loss: The Woodcutter’s Tale (2013): a tender fairytale for all ages about the process of healing after the death of a loved one.

  10. First Ranger Benjamin Church--Epic Poem About King Philip's War (Color Edition 2018): Church Believed in Indians, God and Rum

  11. Mystic: Images of Modern America (Arcadia Publishing, 2016, co-author)


Venues and media featuring Lisa include:


Lisa also educates audiences on how to get the attention of law makers and the media to make policy changes. She shares what it took to get Connecticut and New York to pass laws combating the leading viral cause of birth defects, cytomegalovirus (CMV), linked to autism, cerebral palsy and hearing loss. (Lisa is seen above with Governor Malloy holding a photograph of her daughter in 2015.)

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10/3/25

Bicentennial Voyage of Seneca Chief: Canalway Challenge Ambassador hopes she won't abandon ship!


(Lisa Saunders pointing to a print of the Seneca Chief at the Baldwinsville Library.)

October 3, 2025

Some of you may remember that I tried to become thin and famous to get public attention for congenital CMV by taking an epic sea voyage with a blind sailor in the winter of 2012 (told in book, Mystic Seafarer's Trail). Unfortunately, I abandoned ship after the first day! But now, I have a second chance at bravery on another epic boating voyage.

In celebration of the Erie Canal's bicentennial, I've been asked to be a short-term passenger on the replica of the historic Seneca Chief when it arrives in Baldwinsville (Fri, Oct 3) on her way from Buffalo on the active Erie Canal heading east to the Hudson River to New York City (Seneca Chief starts 33-day voyage down the Erie Canal, Spectrum News). 

I was probably asked to be a passenger because I'm the author of Walking the Erie Canalway Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer to Stop CMV; an "end-to-ender"  (I walked the 360-mile Trail between Buffalo and Albany); a Canalway Challenge Ambassador; and the descendant of Jacob Leach, the Erie Canal engineer on the planning committee for the famous boat parade, known as the "wedding of the waters," launched the first Erie Canal in 1825.

Jacob Leach (1777-1853), my great-great-great-great grandfather, was a shop keeper and distilled whisky. Jacob helped celebrate the opening of the original Erie Canal by welcoming Governor DeWitt Clinton, a passenger on the Seneca Chief, to Lyons. The boat parade “occurred Oct.26, 1825, at the time the two ends of the canal were united in Lockport, and the 'waters were let over the mountain range.' The unique feature of the celebration throughout the state was the transmission of the exact time by firing of cannon – 24 and 32 pounders – distributed along the canal eight miles apart, a total distance 365 miles from Lake Erie to the Hudson River." In Lyons, the "32 pounder, one of the cannon in the chain across the state, was stationed on ‘an eminence west of the village overlooking the canal.’ At sunrise a salute of eight guns was fired from this piece. After the gun had passed along this ‘grand salute from the east,’ a procession was formed which marched through the principal streets of the village to the ‘new brick meeting house’ where the exercises of the day were performed consisting of prayer, psalm singing and oration by G. H. Chapin" (“’Grip's’ Historical Souvenir of Lyons," 1904). 

Regarding the cannon firing: "From what I’ve read, it took 80 minutes from the first cannon fire in Buffalo to the last in NYC, and then the cannon fire repeated back another 80 minutes so by the end everyone within ear-shot along the Canal knew it was open end-to-end!" Lisa Wiles, Director, Liz and Dave Beebe Camillus Erie Canal Park.

If I have a successful voyage on the Seneca Chief, then perhaps I can erase my shame of abandoning ship on when I tried to sail with my friends in 2012. Maybe I can live up to my Mayflower ancestor, Richard Warren, who not only didn't abandoned ship to the new world, but it was said of him after he died (in 1628) that he was a "useful instrument; and during his life bore a deep share in the difficulties and troubles of the first settlement of the plantation of New-Plymouth" (American Ancestors).  


(Lisa Saunders in front of Mayflower II in Plymouth, Mass.)


One friend suggested packing hardtack just in case the Seneca Chief gets swept out to sea!

October 4, 2025

I didn't abandon ship yesterday! And there were witnesses -- including "Sal" the stuffed mule who accompanied me when I walked the Erie Canalway Trail!


Photo caption: (l to r): Lisa Wiles, Director, Liz and Dave Beebe Camillus Erie Canal Park; Lisa Saunders, Erie Canalway Challenge Ambassador (holding Sal, the mule); and Jacquie Owens, Communications Librarian, Baldwinsville Public Library, aboard the Seneca Chief on the Seneca River in Baldwinsville on October 4, 2025.









Sal was offered a bunk by one of the crew, but she declined. 


Sal got a break and didn't need to tow the Seneca Chief. Instead, she is being towed by the C.L. Churchill, a wooden tugboat. 

Visitors on Papermill Island got to tour the Seneca Chief. 


Jim was there to meet me at Papermill Island, Baldwinsville, where we docked. 


My upcoming talks on Walking the Erie Canalway Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer to Stop CMV (e-book and paperback) include: 

  • Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 6:30pm, Beauchamp Historical Club, Van Buren Town Hall (Baldwinsville, NY)
  • Saturday. June 20, 2026, 1-3pm, Clay Historical Association.

About the talk: Hear the story of Canalway Challenge Ambassador, Lisa Saunders, who walked the entire Erie Canalway Trail, from Buffalo to Albany, to bring attention to a worthy cause (congenital CMV), and to solve the mystery of her great aunt's tragic death. 

About Lisa Saunders: Author 
Lisa Saunders of Baldwinsville is a Canalway Challenge Ambassador, an "end-to-ender," having walked 360 miles between Buffalo and Albany; a congenital CMV consultant who works to prevent and treat the disease through legislation, and is an interviewer for PAC-B TV.  In addition "Walking the Erie Canalway Trail," she is the author of several books, such as "Mystic Seafarer's Trail," which features her defeat as a sailor when she abandoned ship. 







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