Two old philosopher friends reunite for a camping trip in eastern Oregon's Outback and Nevada's Black Rock Desert. Each night they talk about their philosophical worldviews, usually around a sage- and juniper-fed campfire. Often soaring with whiskey (or marijuana), J.D. pushes his naturalistic philosophy, which he anchors in the Big Bang, and Carl counters with his Platonism. They are accompanied by J.D. 's dog Sadie and, later, they hook up with J.D. 's kayaking friends for a multi-day trip down Oregon's John Day River. J.D.'s friends are more than happy to offer their own philosophical opinions.
This book is partly Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, with a touch of My Dinner with Andre. But in this account, Schopenhauer's Will dominates. Cosmic energy underlies everything and we are its embodiment. The human need to be free, as for all of life, screams out. It is viscerally existential, and is variably used to serve the self only, to serve others, or to serve all of life. This narrative is also about the search for meaning in what, for J.D., is a meaningless universe.