"This wonderful narrative by a retired history professor takes us back through the time and space of his ancestors and his own youth. Weaving between present and past, it offers a unique blend of nostalgia and incisive commentary about the imprint of Americans on the land and on each other. Gaines Post Jr. shares with us an odyssey that is at once personal and universal."-James McPherson, Emeritus Professor of History, Princeton University, and author of "Battle Cry of Freedom"

On a solo trip in 2002, Gaines Post Jr. drives his 1966 Volkswagen Bug from California to Wisconsin and back,...