The Mississippi River flows through this book, interlacing with the bicycle adventures of Barb and Ted. The insistent energy, majesty and abundance of the river became a metaphor for the explorers who see what they missed before--their roots from New Orleans to Minnesota. The willful river's meanders encourage them to sample pecan pies, spend time with a mortician in Missouri, cheer barges through the river's many locks, and overcome seven broken spokes.