"New ways of seeing can disclose new things. Do new things make up for new ways of seeing?" (p. 17)
             William Least Heat Moon's excursion reflects his appreciation for tradition and the purity of the past. His odyssey reflects his Indian heritage and the corrupting influence of modern technology. Heat Moon takes a circular journey around the country. By traveling this circular path and subconsciously following his Indian heritage routes, William Least Heat Moon symbolically returns to his childhood, to his soul, to his origin, to his self, and to his people. He travels the Blue Highway towns, the "don't blink or you'll miss it towns," where people live the old-fashioned way of life. Completely frustrated with trying to cope with recent personal and emotional loss in his life, Heat Moon takes a quest to take control of his destiny. He realizes that the precious fragility of nature has been camouflaged and destroyed by modern day chaos and "advances."
             Getting in touch with his childhood enabled him to experience his Native American heritage. Evidently, Heat Moon is proud of this heritage; a culture that respected the earth and appreciated all that nature has to offer. He decided to begin his journey in the spring, a time of rebirth. Just before beginning his journey, he admired an undulating W-shaped configuration of the geese migrating northward. He decided to start his quest at the beginning of the new season, "darkly, with neck stuck out."
             The Native American culture, so aware and grateful of the natural environment, would consider modern culture to be full of chaos and destruction. Everywhere that Heat Moon went, he observed and treasured the existence of nature all around him. He took time along the way to observe birds and small animals. Heat Moon suffered the tyranny of highway traffic and the chaos every time he approached a city, but felt joy when going...