The author, a retired business executive, reflects on his retracing of the Meriwether Lewis and William Clark National Historic Trail. He and his wife, Carmen, twice traversed the route (first in 2003-2006 and then again in 2007 and 2009) by car, RV, and foot. After his wife received a subsequent diagnosis of an uncurable degenerative neurological disease, Ton realized that the most important things he remembered from his time on the trail were not trivial facts pertaining to American history but the experiences he’d shared with Carmen, whom he describes as “My compass. My co-captain.” The book traces not only the author’s exploration of the titular trail, but also the tangential historic sites and monuments associated with Lewis and Clark, from the Natchez Trace (a forest trail in the Deep South where Lewis died) to Monticello (Virginia home to President Thomas Jefferson, who commissioned the expedition). Each chapter blends Ton’s account of his adventures with Carmen (including flat tires and other unexpected moments) with the histories of the various landmarks along the trail. The historical narrative provides ample context on the 19th-century political and social milieu that sparked the expedition, and the author is careful to honor the stories of Lewis and Clark’s travel companions, including the Lemhi Shoshone woman Sacagawea and her son, Jean Baptiste. The work pointedly acknowledges “the diversity, resilience, and sovereignty” of the various Indigenous communities Ton encountered on his journey as the author ruminates on the genocidal tragedies associated with America’s westward expansion. While the historical narratives—which are well researched, with both primary and secondary sources cited in a bibliography—are impressive, this is ultimately a love story about the ways in which exploring America strengthened the bonds between Ton and Carmen. “Maps can take you to a place,” the author notes, poignantly adding, “[but] love teaches you how to arrive.”