The Misadventures of a Cross-America Kayaker is the story of an old man on what would probably be his final adventure. Over a span of seven years, Landau paddled and portaged over 4,700 miles on 19 waterways and rivers, six of them going upstream. He touched 17 states and traversed 31 dams along a route that started at the Pacific Ocean and ended at the Atlantic.

Alone almost the entire trip, and always under his own power, Landau’s age and injuries took their toll. His misadventures included paddling over a diversion dam, run-ins with a charging alligator and a rattlesnake that pursued his kayak, almost being run down by tows and barges, being swept out to sea at an inlet, capsizing in rapids, and becoming lost in a swamp as fire ants invaded his cockpit.

Landau also had ample time to reflect on the accomplishments of early explorers, including those of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, whose route he followed west of the Tennessee River. And he noted the beneficial and detrimental impacts civilization has brought to U.S. rivers and waterways — and to the indigenous people who lived along their shores.