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Prior to his retirement, Wauer was a US Park Service employee for more than thirty years, and a naturalist at heart. His interest in ruins, travel, and wildlife are consistent, major themes in this travelogue of the author and his colleague, Johnathan. The cities/places visited are varied: Saba, St. Croix, Mexico City, and Veracruz to name just a sample.
As with any traveler's reminiscences, some details are common and ordinary. Others, though, are deeply personal. This is because one person’s experiences belong to that individual in ways that others cannot completely interpret. However, where the author excels is in his ability to communicate his passion about the environment he finds himself in. An example of this is found in the chapter about Oaxaca and Monte Alban: ". . . Mexico has such a variety of habitats, from the coniferous forests, [and many other forests of different types and elevations]. And think about the coastal areas and abundant rivers and lakes." The verbal portraits in the text are vivid.
Easy and enjoyable to read, the elaboration of conversations does not detract from the author's obvious interest in and love of his investigations. The facts of his travels are described to interest the intrepid investigator. At Tikal, for example, the author is impressed by the variety of birds: ". . . blue-crowned motmots, barred antshrikes . . . blue-headed, slaty-tailed and violaceous trogons . . ." The reader can enjoy the history of the ruins and the natural occurrences in the present day as well as the author's approach to relating the stories, for Wauer is a naturalist who has a novelist's creativity in imagery.