Pat Kanis was approaching sixty and a self-described "uptown girl" when she tied the knot again with a charming widower. She'd barely said "I do" before her nature-loving husband, Tom, purchased a twenty-three-foot travel trailer for a cross-country trip.

In theory, Pat liked traveling and spending time outdoors. But then she discovered that Tom thought that details like running water, good weather, and four walls attached to a foundation were optional luxuries when camping.

As the two drove across the country, visiting national parks and monuments and assorted friends...