Dear Bob and Sue

Dear Bob and Sue #1

by Matt Smith, Karen Smith

This complete version of Dear Bob and Sue chronicles the journey of Matt and Karen Smith, who took a mid-career break to travel to all 58 U.S. National Parks. Written as a series of emails to their friends, Bob and Sue, they describe their sense of awe in exploring our national parks, and share humorous and quirky observations. The national parks are among the most stunning places in America - pristine wilderness, geologic wonders, and magnificent wildlife - places everyone should put on their must-see-before-I-die list. Matt and Karen take you along as they visit them all. Unlike a traditional guidebook, this is one couple's perspective on the joys and challenges of traveling together. This is a story of discovery and adventure: chased by a grizzly, pushed off the trail by big horn sheep, they even survived a mid-air plane collision. Dear Bob and Sue is the next best thing to visiting all the parks in person.

Note: Dear Bob and Sue was previously published as two separate volumes. This version contains all the content from those first two volumes plus additional stories from the final parks Matt and Karen visited.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Memoir, Audiobook, Book Club, Nature, Humor

322 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2012

Reviews

[Karen Hedrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not really care for this book as I found I could not relate to the authors. It seemed to me they were rushing through the national parks just to say they had been there. They admit they hurry through the trails and do not stop to enjoy them-because she does not want to use an outhouse and they want to get back to drink beer.I was hoping the book was written by people who really appreciated these national treasures, but that does not seem to be the case.

[Cmrhudy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't believe I have ever found a book so irritating. The premise is great: two empty-nesters seize the initiative, quit their jobs, and spend a year visiting all the National Parks. My question would be "why?" They raced through most of them, in some cases doing no research (visiting Cuyahoga Valley with intent to ride the scenic railroad through the valley--why not get on the website and find out what days the train runs? ). On at least one visit to a popular park, they made no reservations and had to stay outside the park. Mr. Smith in particular apparently does not like children, people older than he, or anyone with a cell phone. He makes sure to let us know that they hike faster and farther than any other hikers they encounter. Mrs Smith does not like to pee in the woods. Well, hiking is the perfect place for her!! Why do you need to tell us this?
The disdain for fellow tourists was beyond annoying. If you hate everyone this much, look for a hobby that keeps you away from people. Oh, and don't write a book about it. I regret spending money on it. I hope it helps fund a trip where you actually spend time enjoying what you are seeing.

[Sharon Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I loved the idea first of all that a couple would give up their jobs for a couple of years to visit all 58 of the National Parks that were designated "National" Parks - a fine distinction!, and then even more that they would write about it in the form of emails to the friends who inspired them to do this.

I got a real sense of the people - Karen's squirrel encounters, Matt's "OC without the D" and his plan to buy Sue a knife with Tammy on it (because the centre had run out of the ones with "Sue" on them) - were just three of the things that made me want to laugh out loud - difficult because I was reading it on the bus! And I appreciated the difference in the voices when the emails came from Karen, and not just from Matt, as it made it more than just a couple's travelogue - to me, the fact they shared the writing made it more real, and their different voices painted such wonderful pictures of what they were seeing, because they focussed on different things - the beautiful scenery, the wildlife, but above all the dangers which still exist in the National Parks.

I was also lucky in that the version I downloaded actually had the additional visit to the 59th National Park, and the account of their visit there.

Long may their travels continue - and I do hope they manage to persuade Bob and Sue to go with them next time...although, if they do that, who will they write to?

Brilliant, light-hearted and funny read.

[Lee Walling · Rating 2 out of 5]

We were listening to this on Audible. It sounded like a book that was made for me, as I also get goosebumps when I see the brown national park signs and blog about our travels to the parks and elsewhere. I think they are on park number 5 of 59, and I have given up. One, Matt is condescending and patronizing towards his wife and I started to wonder why they got married in the first place. Two, for all his pride about being an obsessive-compulsive planner, he makes key mistakes like not checking to see which days a train is operating in a park. Three, their sojourn in each park so far goes something like this: we get our parks passport stamped, we hike, we don’t describe any scenery, we drink beer, and we leave. Check. Four, he wastes time describing superfluous encounters like someone invading his personal space at a visitors center; I thought surely this is going somewhere, but no it did not. Fifth, this is one of the rare cases when I am confident I could’ve done a more informative, better written and less annoying job writing a travel book. So at least it inspired me to think about trying.

[Lisa G · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really disliked this book. These are the only people who could make Rocky Mountain National Park sound boring AF. Actually they made the whole “visit all of the national parks” thing seem like a chore. Other tourists are there for them to make fun of. The format of the book is one directional emails and it the rhythm is “ this happened, then that happened then we went to the next park.” This book was dull at best and unpleasant at worst. Skip it and read either a real guide book or a real novel.

[Carmel Hanes · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who loves visiting/experiencing our national parks (or any wilderness areas), I decided to follow up on a friend's recommendation to read this book. I wasn't sure it would hold my interest but it sure did.

If you're looking for in-depth information about the various parks, you won't find it here. The focus is more on the getting there and hiking through them and where they slept and ate. But there was still enough detail about what this couple experienced to make it interesting and often humorous. It was fun to relive my own experiences when they talked about the ones I've seen, and enticing to read about the ones I haven't, including those I'm sure I never will.

I've seen some readers put off by the nature of some of the humor (as in the snarky tone and judgement the male narrator takes when things aren't suiting him), but I found it pretty funny and relatable. Any time you put clusters of humanity in close proximity you are likely to create snark, and I think I might be a distant relative of this man since what bothered him were often the same things that would bother me. The playful (yet snarky) banter between him and his wife was particularly amusing, as anyone married to the same person for 30 or 40 years will recognize and understand.

Some of the detailed descriptions of their hikes (many of which would have done me in) were fascinating and they earned my respect with all they took on. I followed up this read by checking out their website to see some of the actual pictures of the places they visited, recognizing some of those features and having a sense of awe about those I've not seen. This was truly a remarkable journey to visit so many of our national parks. I was also in awe of how many times they could stomach eating pizza and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I love both, but would have a hard time with that as a steady diet. I wondered if they were showing signs of scurvy by the time they hit their last park. :-0

P. S. As much as I'd love to watch bears catch salmon for dinner, I don't think I'll ever agree to go hike where they are likely to travel the same paths I do, with only a 20 minute educational talk to teach me how to do a bear encounter. No amount of education could counteract my instinct to run (nope, you don't run). Again, I think I shared that in common with Matt Smith.

If you enjoy the outdoors and snark is a type of humor that doesn't put you off, you might enjoy this one.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book -- it seemed like such a clever idea (a series of e-mails to two particular friends, from a husband and wife as they were visiting the national parks) and that had perked my interest. But, aside from some descriptions of animal sightings, I had a very hard time getting into it and will admit that I didn't finish the book. Truthfully, what was the most off-putting for me was the relationship between the husband and wife authors. There were so many snide comments made about each other that I found myself wondering why in the world they wanted to go exploring together at all.

If someone who has made it through to the end tells me that their relationship eventually improves, I'd be willing to take another stab at reading this. Otherwise, there are just too many wonderful books out there to spend time on one I can't relate to at all.

[Gail Owen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the idea behind the book. The final product in print, not so much. I often felt that I knew learned more about the hotels than I did the actual parks.
My suggestion to the authors would have been to forgo all the flying back and forth and just rent an fully equipped RV. Such a small change would have allowed you to spend more time enjoying the park and less time dealing with accommodations that you were not enjoying.
Not everyone is going to enjoy every park. I get that! However, if I were Bob and Sue, I would not be showing up to the share the experience with these two travelers either. The record of their travels focused on the negative too many times for me. I would not want to experience it first hand.
I think Tom was right. They were rich in so many senses of the word. Perhaps they should focus on that truth during their ventures.

[Jennifer Meiring · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the National Parks and was very excited to read this book. Unfortunately, the authors' negativity made it hard to enjoy the book. When they actually talked about the parks and the wildlife (with the exception of the "buffalo"), I really enjoyed it, and I've actually added Lassen Volcanic NP to a trip I had already planned for this summer because of their reviews. But the majority of the book was spent complaining -- usually about the "misbehaving" children and park visitors, or "annoying" park rangers. Of course, it wasn't the children in the book who were feeding the wildlife, touching rock formations in Carlsbad Caverns, or stealing pine cones (all of these things are forbidden in the parks, yet the authors did them all!). I'm adding an extra star to my review because I listened to this as an audio book, and I'm aware that some of the negative tone may have come from the reader, not the author (though I don't believe that to be the case). My children and husband heard parts of the book when they were in the car with me, and they also found it difficult to listen to the constant complaining about many of America's greatest treasures. One of the most frustrating parts of the book was that Mr. Smith intentionally referred to bison as "buffalo." We learned on one of our many parks trips that there are no "buffalo" in America. They are actually bison. When Mr. Smith started calling them "buffalo," I assumed he just hadn't done his research. But later he goes on to explain that he knows they're not called "buffalo" but that he didn't collect "bison nickels" as a kid, and doesn't eat "bison wings" during a game, and so he's going to keep calling them buffalo. Well that's fine if it's his attempt at humor, but the problem is that he continued to talk about "buffalo" giving all sorts of facts about them -- the population of "buffalo" in the US, the largest herd of "buffalo" in the US, etc. If you're going to give facts, then give them accurately, and help educate your readers, instead of spreading misinformation. I'm happy that they finished all the parks. I hope they enjoyed it more than they seemed to.

[Mindy Brouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super fun book. Hilarious and so cool to hear them travel the parks. Though I am a million percent jealous.

[David Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coincidentally, I read “Dear Bob and Sue” while travelling northern Europe and began to change my approach on travel based on what I was experiencing and the narrative Matt and Karen were describing.

They lay it out pretty clearly in their disclaimer: “If you’re looking for a guide to the National Parks, this isn’t one. If you like long eloquent descriptions of mountains and rivers and rainbows, you won’t find them in this book. If you want to read about a couple accomplishing an incredible feat against all odds, look elsewhere. This is our day-by-day account of our travels together to some of the most stunning places in America.”

As I worked through the 336 pages of their journey to each of the 58 National Parks, my thoughts about journey and destination changed. From one perspective, their tale illustrates the quest to reach a goal (ie, visit all 58 parks); from another, the experiences of getting to each location creates something quite unforgettable.

Matt and Karen use simple language to help the average reader understand what they went through---good, bad, indifferent. Their account is a motivator for anyone striving to reach a goal, in my opinion.

The book is an absolute steal (currently $2.99 for the Kindle). Buy it, read it, enjoy it.

[Janet · Rating 1 out of 5]

I haven’t even finished this book but I figured I would review it now in case I never do. What a cool concept for a book - and for ones life! What a great adventure to set out to visit every single National Park, I thought it would be such an amazing story. But nope. It read like a very dry tour book for the most part and maybe I’m just a tough sell but it wasn’t” laugh out loud funny” as the book description promised. I read about 60% of the book waiting for it to get better. To be perfectly honest, it was really boring and when I found myself skimming and skipping whole passages I knew it was time to cut the cord. I was so disappointed.

[Tammy Adams · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading over 200 pages I couldn't take it anymore. Every park seemed like a repeat - nature! hike! take pictures! wildlife! complaints about service and accommodations! eat food! complain about fellow travelers! be a grumpy old dude!

I've been to many of these parks and thought I'd enjoy this but no such luck. It was so repetitious that it became extremely boring. Too many good books out there to waste any more time on this one.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️
I loved the idea. An epistolary telling of visiting all the national parks. But I wasn’t a fan of the authors. They both try very hard to be funny, sometimes pulling it off, for me, sometimes not. He is very deprecating and offers more complaints of fellow travelers and tour guides than anything else. I also would have appreciated more focus on the parks and less on their nightly drinks.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband asked me not to read this book in bed because I could not stifle my laughter and my laughing disturbed him more than once. Karen and Matt Smith quit their jobs and travelled to see all fifty eight National Parks in the United States, they wrote this book as if they were writing emails to their dear friends Bob and Sue, describing their trip...what they saw, what hike they did, where they stayed and what they ate. They have a disclaimer at the beginning of the book saying this is not a travel guide, but in a way it is, I now know of some National Parks I want to visit and have an idea of what to expect.
My favorite section of the book was the trip to Katmai National Park in Alaska. Last summer I watched the web cams the park service has at the Brooks Camp area where the brown bears feed on salmon heading up the river to spawn, so reading their description really helped me visualize this area. Also after reading Matt's fear of walking from the Falls back to the lodge made me realize that not only would I be frightened but I would probably have a heart attack so I think I will just watch the bears on the web cams and not travel to Katmai National Park.
I don't know if they wrote this book as they were travelling or if they wrote it after completing their goal of visiting all 58 parks but I thought the book got better as they were visiting the last of the parks on their list. There aren't any photos in the book but they do have a Facebook page, Dear Bob and Sue, with photos from the trips plus some other trips. Since finishing their book there is a new park, Pinnacles National Park, and they did visit and wrote about it and it was included in my Kindle edition.
My husband may have lost some sleep with me reading this book but now we have some new ideas for trips to National Parks.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Matt and Karen’s Smith’s adventures through the Fifty-Eight U.S National Parks. It’s not a travel guide. It’s more of a ‘let’s go there just to say we’ve been, hike around and then move on’ sort of journey. It recounts their trip through e-mails to their friends back home. 

Parts of it are funny, parts of it are irritating. The mix-ups, their opinions of fellow travelers (why do people who take the time to visit a gorgeous natural setting spend their time talking about the bridge club back home?) Matt’s self-admitted OC behavior got old after a while but Karen’s ideas about Native women being portents of good luck was rather amusing. 

My dad used to work for the Park Services. The Great Smokey Mountain National Park to be specific and he used to tell stories of unimaginable stupidity by tourists. Matt and Karen started out ignoring the advice of the Park Rangers much to their own detriment. I wanted to throw the book across the room a few times because of their dismissive attitude. The Park Rangers know their business and when they say things like ‘don’t go hiking through Sand Dunes National Park during the hottest hours of the day’ then maybe you should listen. Eventually, they finally wised up and realized there was a reason Park Rangers exist. By the time they were observing Grizzly bears in Alaska, they had the Ranger’s admonitions memorized. 

This is a self-published book and written as informal e-mails there are spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. It’s not a bad read. It can amuse and a good distraction if you find yourself stuck in a waiting room. If nothing else, think of this as a lesson in how NOT to visit the National Parks.

[Diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith

I read up to the 76% mark of this book on my tablet, before I finally gave in to my gut feeling by the first 10% and called it quits. I know that there is a warning in the author's preface to not expect a travel guide, recommendations, or descriptions of the natural beauty surrounding them in the National Parks, and that should have been all the warning I needed, so the blame is on myself for trying to be fair and "read it out." Seriously , each visit is merely the same "we drove there, rented a room/cabin, hiked, ate, slept and did the same thing the next day." Only the locations changed. I was also disappointed with not finding any of the "lol" moments promised. I am really sorry, but cannot for the life of me figure out the purpose of this book at all. 👎👎👎👎👎

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m calling it quits on this book after 30 pages. I love memoirs, but this just feels like what it is, a series of long emails about one couple’s travels to 58 different parks. It’s too disjointed for me, without an overarching theme or narrative. I'm wondering if the fact that it was self-published and may not have had a professional editor contributes to this. It’s for a book club which is why I have given it a couple tries (and it would have worked for one of my Book Riot Read Harder 2018 tasks). But frankly there are so many other books out there I would rather read. It’s interesting to observe within myself that reading more books lately actually allows me to feel free to stop those that just don’t appeal to me.

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate this book. I dislike the writer and his wife immensely, especially his wife. They are arrogant, think they are awesome hikers, though she won't "pee" along the trail and "is jealous of her husband because he can", and they think they know as much as the rangers. And they never do. They pay scant attention to their actual surroundings. I believe they are just doing it prove something.
I hope I never meet them! I would have so much to say!

[Melody · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I am an avid hiker and a lover of the National Parks. You'd think this would be just my thing, but no. These two come off as snarky, self-satisfied twats in the worst way. They have disdain for most all of their fellow humans, and they often aren't very kind to one another, either. They rushed through the parks as if checking them off was more important than being there. They didn't do the most basic research or planning ahead. I couldn't stomach this, and bailed out well before the end.

[Mwrogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was fun touring the parks with Matt and Karen. I feel like I was there with them snowmobiling through the cold, hiking up the trails in the heat, eating PB and J sandwiches and pizza and having to listen to some of those rangers! Fun read!

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This seems to be an opportunity for our main characters to make fun of each other and anybody else they meet, set against a background of the National Parks. I got tired of the husband and wife mocking each other, and it so distracted me that I could not finish the book.

[Chris Witkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable account of Karen and Matt Smith's quest to visit all 58 (59 now) National Parks, told through a series of emails to their good friends, Bob and Sue. Their children were grown, they both had jobs they could leave for long periods of time and they had adequate financial resources to enable them to travel extensively.

Some of the book is a travelogue, but mostly it is a delightful, often quite humorous, take on the joys and pitfalls of travel. Having just returned from a two week trip to England with my husband, and having gone on numerous driving adventures in the US with him, I could relate to the couple's experiences. The sarcastic jibes back and forth are done in good fun, with a great deal of affection behind them.

At their last park visit, in the Arctic Circle in Alaska, Karen and Matt meet an 80 year old man working in the lodge, who claims he can size up people quickly. He remarked to them he could tell they were a happy couple that really enjoyed being with each other. When they left him the next morning he said to Karen "You two are rich and I don't mean that you have money. You have each other and you have time." What a wonderful observation - and how lucky for me that it could also apply to my husband and me.

The book has led me to think - hmmm----is this something we should try? But, visiting American Samoa NP or the Everglades? Not so sure.

[Kelly Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

My husband and I listened to the audiobook of "Dear Bob and Sue" on a current road trip we're taking. We both love National Parks, and were interested to hear what Matt and Karen thought about some of our favorites. What this book should actually be called is, "Matt and Karen's Search for Beer." They spent more time complaining about each other than spend time in the parks, and made us roll our eyes more times than we could count. Not a huge fan, and probably wouldn't have finished it if it wasn't in audio form.

[Karen Faber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I want to be friends with the authors and I want to go to all the national parks.

[Laurie Moreland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good thing I didn't read this book on a plane or when trying to be sneaky in a meeting. I guffawed literally dozens of times, out loud and with feeling. Not just the antics of this couple, but the way they related their experiences in this book made me tee-hee so many times as I saw myself and my husband (sort of) in them. Let me state for the record that I LOVE the national parks. I worked in one as a young adult and have visited many of them over my lifetime. Reading about them (the known and the unknown) was wonderful. Experiencing them through the adventures of Matt and Karen (feel like we're on a first-name basis now!) was entertaining and fun. Will use this book in the future for reference AND recreation.

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect audio book for a trip when we visited 3 national parks. Matt and his wife, Karen, quit their jobs and spent a little over a year visiting all the national parks. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to this hilarious travelogue. Such a fun addition for our trip.

[Anne Maddox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an awesome weekend read. Though I often lost track of which park they were in, I really enjoyed the style and the vacation-feel of reading it. Way to go, Bellefonte Reads for choosing this as one of this year’s books!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book for free, or nearly so on my Kindle. Since I love to travel, and particularly to national parks, I thought this would be of great interest to me. It turned out to be mildly interesting, not exactly what I hoped it might be, but a decent enough read to finish it. It's about a couple in their early 50's who quit their jobs with the intent on visiting every single National Park in the US. This book was written in "letter" format - as if they were emailing friends back home. The authors may have thought that was trendy or quirky, but I just think it was cheesy and totally unnecessary. The title also isn't great (IMO) because unless you read the tag line, you have no idea what the book is about. Anyway, they accomplish the goal of seeing every National Park, eventually. They live in Seattle and mostly the visits to the parks include flights to and from Seattle. I know if it had been me, and I'd quit my job, I would have purchased an RV and made my way via the open road to all the parks that I could in the lower 48. They kept flying back and forth to/from Seattle which I thought was kinda silly, considering they didn't have jobs to get back to, OR kids. I also was somewhat disappointed that they went into great detail about some parks, and others were more like: we went, we walked around, took a few pics, and left - next! That said, I had never even heard of a bunch of these parks, and actually learned a few things.... like "never run away from bears, they WILL catch you!" Some people have complained about the "disparaging" remarks bantered between the husband and wife. Heck, that wasn't a concern to me - if you can't joke around with your spouse, you're in deep trouble! You've gotta be able to give it and take it as well.... that's how it works in my house anyway.

[Mary Tuttle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I became curious about this book because it seemed to be constantly in demand through our inter-library loan program where I work. So, I reserved it so I could see why. What a disappointment. I quit reading it less than 1/4 of the way through.
Okay, I DO believe our national parks are wonderful. I DO believe that people should visit them. But the way these people were rushing through the parks just so they could say they visited each one disappoints me. The parks are meant to be savored, not just clicked off some arbitrary list.
The other thing I cannot abide is the way this husband and wife continually insult each other. Maybe that's just their "shtick" - some ill-conceived comic device meant to keep our interest. Or maybe they consider it gentle teasing, but I find it off-putting. It's repetitive, disrespectful, and narcissistic.
If one wants to read the saga of two very privileged people who can afford to quit their jobs and spend a year racing from one national park to another, then by all means, be my guest. I find this book rather a waste of my time.