For her 50th birthday, Nancy Scheibe decided to paddle the upper Mississippi River with some women friends. This innocent little trip evolved into a decade-long journey of the entire Mississippi that has touched the lives of hundreds of women who gathered at campfires and coffee shops along the way, and countless others who followed along online or by reading these books. This book details the third and final section of the trip a six-week, 1000-mile journey from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Gulf of Mexico. The culture of the South fills this book. The stories of men and women Nancy and her companions met along the river, at restaurants, and at beauty shops contrast with the surprisingly peaceful paddling in bayous and backwaters. Fried foods, alligators, cotton fields, and antebellum architecture are just a few of the details described in a way that makes readers feel like they are along on this fascinating adventure. Woven through with Native American traditions, details of life on the water, and voices of wise women, this book and its predecessor, Ripple of Wisdom, are a rebuttal to anyone who believes that women over 50 are past their prime, and an affirmation for those who know better.