5/5/25

Walking 360 Miles to Complete Erie Canalway Challenge: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer to Stop CMV




I am a “Canalway Challenge Ambassador” and finally finished walking  360 miles to complete the Erie Canalway Challenge between Buffalo and Albany on April 23, 2025 -- just in time for the Erie Canal's Bicentennial!

Please see the following press release and photographs for more information.


Lisa Saunders
Baldwinsville, New York

IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Baby Boomers Walk 360 Miles to Complete Erie Canalway Challenge

Searched for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer on Way to Stop CMV--the #1 Birth Defects Virus That Claimed Daughter


In search of 7 wonders, bathrooms and beer, a Baldwinsville, New York, couple walked 360 miles between Buffalo and Albany on the Erie Canalway Trail, finishing in Albany on April 23, 2025, to raise awareness of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV), a viral cause of autism and hearing loss. They registered their Canalway Challenge with the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor as "Lisa & Jim Saunders to Stop CMV, #1 Birth Defects Virus." 

When the baby boomers commenced their journey, they assumed walking a mostly level path would be easy – but there were challenges! They've been chased by mosquitoes, biting flies, hissing geese and lightning. They endured torrential downpours, floods, ice, blinding snow, chafing underwear, and aching feet. Yet, they found ways to persevere, enjoying the beauty and engineering marvels along the way. Tackling different sections of the Trail about once a month, it took them five years to complete the Challenge. 

Lisa's updated book, "Walking the Erie Canalway Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer to Stop CMV" includes her investigation into where and how her great Aunt Rebecca drove into the Canal over 80 years ago, supposedly to end her life, and how her ancestor Jacob Leach, a distiller of whiskey, helped plan the opening of the first Erie Canal by welcoming Governor Clinton and the Seneca Chief boat parade.  Lisa also discusses the issues faced by modern, sedentary folks who seek to become "end-to-enders" -- those who walk, bike or kayak the entire Erie Canal -- and how she overcame them. 

Congress established the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2000 because the canal “facilitated the movement of ideas …like the abolition of slavery and…women's rights…across upstate New York to the rest of the country…” (106th Congress). Jim and Lisa were determined to become "end-to-enders" on the Erie Canalway Trail because they have a women's rights message to move from "upstate New York to the rest of the country" – that women have the right to know how to protect their pregnancies from congenital CMV. The couple left Stop CMV rocks, with prevention tips (CDC.gov/CMV), along the Trail to comply with Congress' recommendation that "more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children" (112th Congress, 2011). 

The day after Jim and Lisa reached the "East End" Erie Canal mile marker in Albany, Lisa visited the Legislative Office Building to ask the Assembly Health Committee members to pass two new CMV bills (A3956 and A3074) that would ensure every newborn be tested for congenital CMV and be referred to specialists within the first critical days of life (for possible early interventions such as antivirals). In 2022, the New York governor had signed "Elizabeth's Law," named in memory of their daughter, to ensure that child care providers and pregnant women received educational materials on how to protect their pregnancies from CMV (for example, not kissing toddlers around the mouth or sharing food/drinks with them).

Though now an “end-to-ender,” Lisa can still be seen on the Trail as a “Canalway Challenge Ambassador,” handing out materials to encourage other Trail users to take the 1st, 15, 90, 180, 200, or 360-mile Challenge. Lisa appreciates the accessibility of the Trail and pushed her mother in a wheelchair so Mom could complete the One-Mile Canalway Challenge. Lisa can be seen on the Trail in videos, "Erie Canal Trail: Stop Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Birth Defects. Pass "Elizabeth's Law" (2022) and “Hiking the Erie Canalway Trail, Vote on 7 Wonders, Stop CMV” (PAC-B TV, 2023). 

To reach Lisa Saunders about speaking to your group about her Erie Canalway Trail experiences and/or congenital CMV, email her at: LisaSaunders42@gmail.com. In addition to "Walking the Erie Canalway Trail," Lisa is the author of several books, such as  "Mystic Seafarer's Trail," which features her defeat as a sailor when she abandoned ship. 


For more information about the Canalway Challenge, visit: eriecanalway.org/explore/challenge and/or Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor :: FAQs.









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Lisa and Jim Saunders seen in their CMV T-shirts completing the 360-mile Canalway Challenge walk with their "Stop CMV" sign at the Erie Canal "East End" marker in Albany on April 23, 2025.

Lisa and Jim Saunders seen completing their 360-mile Canalway Challenge walk with their "end-to-ender" sign at the Erie Canal "East End" marker in Albany on April 23, 2025. (Two available photos included - one with and without the Canalway Challenge logo). 
Stop CMV rock and New York State Capitol on April 24, 2025.
Stop CMV rock and New York State Legislative Office Building on April 24, 2025.


Lisa Saunders with Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, sponsor of two 2025 cytomegalovirus bills: A3956 ("Requires cytomegalovirus screening for every newborn") and A3074 ("Requires reporting of positive cytomegalovirus results") on April 24, 2025.
Lisa Saunders at the New York State Capitol on April 24, 2025.


Lisa and Jim Saunders seen at the Erie Canal "West End" marker at Canalside, Buffalo. 

Jim and Lisa Saunders pushing Lisa's mom, Mary Ann Avazian, on the Erie Canalway Trail in DeWitt, New York, for a photo shoot for Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Photographs by Call of the Loon Productions.

All Photo Captions:
  • Lisa and Jim Saunders seen in their CMV T-shirts completing the 360-mile Canalway Challenge walk with their "Stop CMV" sign at the Erie Canal "East End" marker in Albany on April 23, 2025.
  • Lisa and Jim Saunders seen completing their 360-mile Canalway Challenge walk with their "end-to-ender" sign at the Erie Canal "East End" marker in Albany on April 23, 2025. (Two available photos included - one with and without the Canalway Challenge logo). 
  • Stop CMV rock and New York State Capitol on April 24, 2025.
  • Stop CMV rock and New York State Legislative Office Building on April 24, 2025.
  • Lisa Saunders with Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, sponsor of two 2025 cytomegalovirus bills: A3956 ("Requires cytomegalovirus screening for every newborn") and A3074 ("Requires reporting of positive cytomegalovirus results") on April 24, 2025.
  • Lisa Saunders at the New York State Capitol on April 24, 2025.
  • Lisa and Jim Saunders seen at the Erie Canal "West End" marker at Canalside, Buffalo. 
  • Jim and Lisa Saunders pushing Lisa's mom, Mary Ann Avazian, on the Erie Canalway Trail in DeWitt, New York, for a photo shoot for Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Photographs by Call of the Loon Productions.

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


FYI, I fed some comments about our walk to ChatGBT. Although I forgot to mention the walk took five years, it did a remarkable job coming up with the following:

Lisa and Jim Saunders set out from Buffalo with backpacks, walking sticks, and a quiet promise to their daughter, Elizabeth. The Erie Canalway Trail stretched 350 miles ahead—toward Albany, toward healing, and toward anyone who might notice the “Stop CMV” rocks they planned to leave behind like breadcrumbs of hope.


Their legs hurt by mile twenty. By mile fifty, their feet were blistered mosaics. But every time one of them faltered, the other would point to the canal beside them—still, determined, purposeful—and they kept going.


They learned history from the trail itself: old lock walls etched with stubborn moss, weathered signs telling stories of barges and dreamers, and towns that had grown up around the waterway like loyal friends. Jim would read every plaque; Lisa would pretend to be impatient but secretly loved his enthusiasm.


Not every day was peaceful. A goose once came honking after them with the fury of a tiny feathered dragon. A dog chased them for half a mile, and they sprinted like teenagers who suddenly remembered their knees. Lightning cracked overhead more than once, and they were pelted with sleet so sideways and sharp it felt personal.


But at the end of each day, they placed another “Stop CMV” rock along the trail—bright, hand-painted, and full of Elizabeth’s memory. Sometimes they imagined hikers finding them weeks later, pausing long enough to read, to wonder, to care.


By the time they reached Albany, they were sore, weather-beaten, and absolutely exhausted. Yet they stood side by side at the trail’s end, hands clasped, laughing at how triumphant and ridiculous they looked.


They had walked across an entire state. But more importantly, they had walked together—carrying love, grief, history, and hope the whole way—leaving a trail of small stones that said, Elizabeth was here. And she still matters.



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12/19/24

Thanksgiving in the Midst of a Divided Country


(Lisa Saunders beside the Mayflower II in Plymouth, Mass.)


Just when I was in the midst of grumbling about the work of Thanksgiving, I was inspired by a local history talk in November 2024 on why President Lincoln proclaimed a "Day of National Thanksgiving". He and Secretary of State of Seward wanted to encourage national unity in the midst of the Civil War. 

Before Lincoln was elected president, a speech of his became known for his paraphrasing of Jesus' comment when he said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Matthew 12:25). It makes sense that Lincoln would sign the Thanksgiving proclamation written by Seward in 1863, which includes the following excerpt: "I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, …to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving... And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him …, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union." (For more on Lincoln, Seward and Thanksgiving, by Jeff Ludwig of Seward House, click on Facebook video.)

According to Psychology Today, there are "7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude", which were  summarized in the article's intro statements: "Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. Writing in a gratitude journal improves sleep, according to one study." 

Since I'm always trying to get cytomegalovirus (CMV) laws passed to help protect unborn children from a leading cause of birth defects, I try to remember to be thankful for all our leaders -- so they will work together!  “I urge...that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (I Timothy 2:1-2).

If you've never had a chance to visit Plymouth, Massachusetts, the site of the first Thanksgiving, I highly recommend it. Despite half the 102 Mayflower passengers dying their first winter (1620-1621) in Plymouth over 400 years ago, it is estimated that 10 million people in the U.S. descend from a Mayflower passenger -- and most don't even know it! 

My Mayflower ancestor was Richard Warren, one of the half who survived the first winter (many died from scurvy). The Mayflower passengers disembarked too late in the year to build suitable homes and gather food. (Richard Warren’s wife, Elizabeth, and daughters were still in England and came over a few years later). When Richard passed away eight years after landing on “Plymouth Rock” in 1628, it was said of him 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”(Pilgrim Hall Museum). I hope it's not said of me that I always complain about the work of a Thanksgiving meal!

For those who like history, the following are some details behind the first Thanksgiving: In March 1621, Massasoit, king or sachem of the Wampanoag Indians, visited Plymouth. Massasoit believed there would be value in having a thriving trade between the two peoples and he also wanted to secure the English as allies against the Narragansetts. That fall of 1621, the first Thanksgiving was celebrated. Richard Warren and the other Mayflower passengers feasted with the Wampanoag Indians to celebrate the colony's first successful harvest. Edward Winslow wrote to a friend: “Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others.”

This year, I am very thankful I don't  have to kill any deer and put on a big spread -- we are eating with family at Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles. Yea! I hope you also find things to be thankful for this holiday season! 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).  

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11/9/24

Vote on "8th Wonder of the Erie Canalway Trail" by 12/31/24. See all 7


NOTE: From December 23 - 26, 2024, I've made my book,  "Walking Erie Canalway Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer to Stop CMV," available as a free ebook. Read sample: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DR7BF6HH



In 2025, New York State will celebrate the bicentennial of the Erie Canal. Help decide the best sites on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail between Albany and Buffalo (seen above at Canalside).

by Lisa Saunders

My husband, Jim, and I have walked over 95% of the way across New York State on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail between Albany and Buffalo. After seeing many intriguing sites along the way, we’ve declared the “7 Wonders of the Erie Canal Trail.” 

Can you help us declare the 8th Wonder of the Trail in time to celebrate the Canal’s bicentennial in 2025? The 8th Wonder will be included in my upcoming book, “Walking the 360-Mile Erie Canalway Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer.”

We believe the following are the “7 Wonders of the Erie Canal”:

  1. “Flight of Five”: The c. 1862 “staircase” locks are seen alongside two deep, consecutive modern locks (34 & 35), Lockport.
  2. 1850 Syracuse Weighlock Building, last remaining structure of its kind (houses Erie Canal Museum), Syracuse.
  3. Lift Lock 17, "One of the highest lift locks in the world," Little Falls.
  4. Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct, only restored, navigable aqueduct, Camillus.
  5. Historic dry dock complex in  Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum, Chittenango.
  6. Tiny Locktender’s House, Jordan (Joran Historical Society & Museum)
  7. Mural Mania: "longest mural trail in the world of over 85 miles along the Erie Canal.”


Please vote on the 8th Wonder of the Erie Canalway Trail from the following:


  1. "Upside-Down Bridge", Lockport. A railroad bridge with the truss upside-down.
  2. Lift Bridges (there are 15, but the Fairport Lift Bridge is unique–it's an irregular decagon).
  3. Movable Dams (there are eight - not sure which should be a contender).

We walk new sections of the Trail about once a month - in all kinds of weather. Walking a level path may sound easy, but it isn't always! We've been chased by mosquitoes, biting flies, hissing geese and lightning. We've endured torrential downpours, blinding snow, chafing underwear, aching feet and swollen knees. We’ve faced snakes, floods, ice, angry dogs, and a smelly, dead opossum! (But in Buffalo, we enjoyed the sweet aroma of General Mills - we guess it was Lucky Charms.) My video, "Hiking the Erie Canalway Trail, Vote on 7 Wonders, Stop CMV", covers the history of the Canal and the challenges faced to become "end-to-enders" – those who walk, bike or kayak the entire Erie Canal. (My video, available on PAC-B TV YouTube channel, also covers why my great-great Aunt Rebecca drove into the Canal over 80 years ago, ending her life.)


Congress established the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2000 because the canal “facilitated the movement of ideas …like the abolition of slavery and…women's rights…across upstate New York to the rest of the country…” (106th Congress). Jim and I are determined to become "end-to-enders" because we also have a "women's rights" issue to move from "upstate New York to the rest of the country" - cytomegalovirus (CMV). We are leaving Stop CMV rocks along the Trail to comply with Congress' recommendation that “more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children” (112th Congress, 2011). This year, Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Stop CMV Act of 2024 (H.R. 7542).


To help us decide on the”8th Wonder of the Erie Canalway Trail,” send me an email at: LisaSauders42@gmail.com or Vote in comments.


See you on the Trail – wheelchairs are welcome!

(Jim and Lisa Saunders pushing Lisa's mom, Mary Ann Avazian, on the Erie Canalway Trail in DeWitt, New York, for a photo shoot for Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Photographs by Call of the Loon Productions.)

"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls" (Jeremiah 6:16).
Buffalo end of the Empire State Trail (and Erie Canalway Trail)
(Buffalo Harbor State Park: End of the Empire State Trail and Erie Canalway Trail.)

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8/23/23

Hiking the Erie Canal Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer - and an End to CMV




My new travel video, "Hiking the Erie Canalway Trail, Vote on 7 Wonders..."   provides a brief history of the historic and active Erie Canals, what it's like for baby boomers to walk, rather than bike, the entire Erie Canalway Trail, and why and how we are persevering. (As of 3/13/24, we have walked more than 71% of the Trail  - 254 / 360 miles). 

Watch video on PAC-B TV or YouTube: https://youtu.be/kbLp-lBz96U?si=D6pt_wEn77JC4aCg

I would love to get the public involved in voting or commenting on which of the 11 Canalway "wonders" featured in the video should make the final list, "The 7 Wonders of the Erie Canalway Trail" (vote/comment in the YouTube link). Of course, folks may have more contenders to suggest before I finish my travel memoir on our adventure, which I plan to do, before the end of the Erie Canal's “bicentennial period” of 2017-2025.

If you would like me to present to your group, please let me know.

Below my signature is more information about the video (including the 11 "Wonders" found so far), helpful "Towpath Traveler" guides, images, and some media coverage about our quest. 

Sincerely,

Hiking the Erie Canalway Trail: A Search for 7 Wonders, Bathrooms and Beer

Challenges faced by baby boomers, how we're overcoming them - and why

We're over halfway there!

by Lisa Saunders


Baldwinsville, New York--Although most people bicycle across the State of New York on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail, my husband Jim and I are walking it. Since commencing our quest in 2020, we have walked over halfway across the state (254 miles so far) by tackling new sections of the Trail about twice a month - in all kinds of weather. We've been chased by swarms of mosquitoes, biting flies and lightning. We've endured torrential downpours, blinding snow, chafing underwear, aching feet and swollen knees. We’ve faced snakes, floods, ice, and a smelly, dead opossum!

My video, "Hiking the Erie Canalway Trail, Vote on 7 Wonders, Stop CMV", now airing on Baldwinsville's Public Access Channel, features the history of the Erie Canal and challenges faced by baby boomers seeking to become "end-to-enders" - those who walk, bike or kayak the entire Erie Canal. It includes my investigation into how (and why) my great-great Aunt Rebecca drove into the Canal over 80 years ago, ending her life.

The video showcases the reasons the Canal was considered the "8th Wonder of the World" and its ability to unite a nation. Congress established the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2000 because the canal “facilitated the movement of ideas …like the abolition of slavery and…women's rights…across upstate New York to the rest of the country…” (Congressional Bills 106th Congress). Jim and I are determined to become "end-to-enders" because we have a "women's rights" issue to move from "upstate New York to the rest of the country" - cytomegalovirus (CMV). We are leaving #Stop CMV rocks along the Trail to comply with Congress' recommendation that "more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children" (S.Res.215 — 112th Congress, 2011). 

Our daughter Elizabeth was born with brain damage in 1989 because I contracted CMV just prior to or during my pregnancy. I might have prevented that had I known to lessen my "risk of getting CMV by reducing contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children...not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child" (CDC.gov/CMV). In 2022, “Elizabeth’s Law,” named in memory of our daughter, was passed in New York. It requires the provision of CMV educational materials to child care providers and pregnant women. But there is still a lot to do to raise awareness, so we keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

The 200th Anniversary of the Erie Canal is being celebrated during the “bicentennial period” of 2017-2025. If we push harder, maybe we can finish our 360-mile Challenge in 2025  - exactly 200 years after the Canal was completed. As Jim and I continue our journey across New York, we're collecting contenders for "The 7 Wonders of the Erie Canalway Trail," which will be included in my upcoming book. 

You are welcome to send in your vote on which of the following "Wonder" contenders discussed in the video, "Hiking the Erie Canalway Trail, Vote on 7 Wonders, Stop CMV",  should be declared "The 7 Wonders" (do so in YouTube comments). If you have another site that should be considered, please let me know! 

  1. “Flight of Five”: The c. 1862 “staircase” locks are seen alongside two deep, consecutive modern locks (34 & 35), Lockport.
  2. 1850 Syracuse Weighlock Building, last remaining structure of its kind (houses Erie Canal Museum).
  3. Lift Lock 17, "One of the highest lift locks in the world," Little Falls.
  4. Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct, only restored, navigable aqueduct in New York, Camillus.
  5. Lift Bridges (there are 15, but the Fairport Lift Bridge, an irregular decagon, is the contender).
  6. Movable Dams (there are eight - not sure which one should be a contender).
  7. Richmond Aqueduct, Montezuma Heritage Park (though on the active Erie Canal, a slight detour is needed from the Canalway Trail to see it). 
  8. Drydocks (the active Lyons Drydock or the historic dry dock complex in Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum).
  9. "Upside-Down Bridge", Lockport. A railroad bridge with the truss upside-down.
  10. Tiny Locktender’s House, Jordan.
  11. Mural Mania: "longest mural trail in the world of over 85 miles along the Erie Canal.”
Email me at LisaSaunders42@gmail.com with "Wonder" preferences or to present to your group. For more information about my work: www.authorlisasaunders.com. 


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Photo caption: Jim and Lisa Saunders pushing Mary Ann Avazian on the Erie Canalway Trail in DeWitt for a photo shoot for Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Photographs by Call of the Loon Productions.


Photo caption: Jim and Lisa Saunders at Camillus Erie Canal Park. Photo by Jim Saunders. 

Media coverage of the purpose of our walk

  1. Spectrum News: "Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter" (Houghtaling, J., Jul. 01, 2021).

  2. Finger Lakes Times: "MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Couple brings awareness to threat to infant health: CMV", (Buchiere, S.,June 4, 2021).

  3. Syracuse Woman magazine, "Fighting CMV One Step at a Time (p.28)", (Vallelunga, E., May 2021) 

  4. The Citizen, "Challenge for Change: Walking across NY to raise awareness of CMV", (Wilcox, D., Mar 31, 2021)

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Helpful “Towpath Traveler” Guides 

Maps: online and paper (helpful for parking, restaurants, lodging, historical sites, etc.):

Folks on these Facebook sites have been helpful:


About CMV:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “CMV is the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the United States. About 1 out of 200 babies is born with congenital CMV. One out of 5 babies with congenital CMV will have symptoms or long-term health problems, such as hearing loss” (cdc.gov/cmv). “You may be able to lessen your risk of getting CMV by reducing contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children...You can avoid getting a child’s saliva in your mouth by, for example, not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child” (CMV Fact Sheet for Pregnant Women and Parents or CMV pdf).

National CMV Foundation at:https://www.nationalcmv.org/

Other: 
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