After rewarding careers working with students and youth, Pete and Marie Madsen decide to use the free time of retirement to reconnect with the people and places that helped them become who they are today.

As members of the Baby Boomer generation, the Madsens prefer face-to-face conversations over texting and emoticons-and experiences in the natural world instead of virtual thrills. So, with newfound free time, the couple sets out to visit people from their past and to revisit some of the glorious natural wonders that make this country great.

A collection of stories within the...