What do you think?
Rate this book
Dories, Ho!
Travel with Matt and Karen as they float down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. In September 2016, they experienced the trip of a lifetime with 14 friends and a crew of 10 while traveling in wooden dories through the canyon. Dories, Ho! is a story of their adventure and discovery. Similar to their first travel memoir Dear Bob and Sue, this book is as much about their relationship as it is their fantastic trip. Matt and Karen’s quirky writing style is both humorous and irreverent. It’s fun, laugh out loud, and an easy read. While not intended to be a traditional guidebook, anyone contemplating a river trip through the Grand Canyon will benefit from this firsthand account. The reader will feel as if they’ve traveled with the authors on their journey to and through Grand Canyon National Park. If you are looking for a story that will make you laugh and inspire you to get out and see our incredible national parks, Dories, Ho! is for you.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2017
129 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
December 27, 2018
Ahh, this recounting of Matt and Karen Smith's adventure floating down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon makes me want to book a trip! The Grand Canyon has always been one of my favorite national parks, but I've never been to the bottom. I need to fix that someday... For now, I was happy to go along with this couple and their friends.
July 6, 2021
This book by Matt and Karen follow them down the Colorado River in a dory boat through the Grand Canyon. The book is very descriptive and highly recommended for anyone thinking about a trip like this.
After floating with them, I think I can safely remove this activity from my imaginary bucket wish list.
I always enjoy “traveling” with Matt and Karen on their adventures through our national parks. Their descriptions and sense of humor make for quick and fun reads.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much. I got tired of hearing about Mark Litton and I think some of the guides seemed a bit preachy. I can’t imagine having to listen to one of them read about Mark Litton to me for 20 minutes. Yada yada, blah blah, I’ve heard enough.
If you read this book on your Kindle, be sure and visit their website to see their beautiful pictures.
After floating with them, I think I can safely remove this activity from my imaginary bucket wish list.
I always enjoy “traveling” with Matt and Karen on their adventures through our national parks. Their descriptions and sense of humor make for quick and fun reads.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much. I got tired of hearing about Mark Litton and I think some of the guides seemed a bit preachy. I can’t imagine having to listen to one of them read about Mark Litton to me for 20 minutes. Yada yada, blah blah, I’ve heard enough.
If you read this book on your Kindle, be sure and visit their website to see their beautiful pictures.
September 19, 2023
The light-hearted story of a middle-aged couple who take a guided Dorie trip through the Grand Canyon with their friends. I would have liked more description of what they saw on the Colorado River and during their side hikes. This book is more about humor than those details.
July 29, 2019
Now we're talking. I trudged through the last four books in my queue. I picked up Dories, Ho! on Saturday and finished today. I'm not a fast reader. But this adventure story of one of my favorite places on earth was an easy and entertaining read. The author(s) detail their river ride with humor and interesting historical facts. I could relate to the give and take between husband and wife. I felt nervous reading about a dory pushed around in the rapids. I cringed at the idea of going to the bathroom in a "groover," or the possibility of sharing a sleeping bag with stinging/hissing/biting critters. I marvel at the ease with which 26 friends worked together on the river and hiked rugged trails throughout the Grand Canyon.
I once attempted to hike into the Canyon with my sisters. We didn't get too far but 24 years later I still consider it to one of my greatest achievements! Not to mention spending a couple of nights at the magnificent El Tovar. There are no words to describe the ever-changing beauty of the Canyon or the stars at night.
The time in my life when I might have taken a river trip like the one so aptly described in Dories, Ho! is long gone. Reading this book from my dry, bug-free living room is the next best thing. I highly recommend Dories, Ho! as well their first book Dear Bob and Sue. I think it would be fun to sit around a campfire, drinking beer and listen to them tell stories.
I once attempted to hike into the Canyon with my sisters. We didn't get too far but 24 years later I still consider it to one of my greatest achievements! Not to mention spending a couple of nights at the magnificent El Tovar. There are no words to describe the ever-changing beauty of the Canyon or the stars at night.
The time in my life when I might have taken a river trip like the one so aptly described in Dories, Ho! is long gone. Reading this book from my dry, bug-free living room is the next best thing. I highly recommend Dories, Ho! as well their first book Dear Bob and Sue. I think it would be fun to sit around a campfire, drinking beer and listen to them tell stories.
October 31, 2017
I would love to travel with Matt and Karen. They tell good stories, share good tips. Can't wait for their next adventure.
May 14, 2021
Another Bucket List Trip
January 10, 2020
Loved it! I want Matt and Karen to be my friends! And, I really wish we’d hiked the Canyon before moving away!
November 6, 2020
This is the third book by Matt and Karen Smith that I listened to. I really enjoyed this book. I won't belabor this point, as I have mentioned it on my other two reviews, but, the narrator's voice does not fit for Matt, in my opinion. Since I have now listened to their podcasts, I certainly think it would have been preferable to hear the authors read these books themselves. That being said, this book is a really good and relatively thorough story of the couples' trip on the river at the Grand Canyon. This was a "bucket list" trip for the couple, and is a very good way to find out what it was like to take this trip. Seeing as I had just taken a trip to the Grand Canyon, and wondered what it would be like, not only to take one of these trips, but also to hike to Bright Angel trail. All of the information was very helpful and precise, from how to pack to what happens when you're there. Matt told the story in a way that kept my interest, and he also has a way of adding comical scenarios from the trip that were appreciated. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever considered taking a trip like this, or for people that like to read about other's adventures.
March 14, 2024
I notice that Bob and Sue are noticeably absent from the 2nd book from the Smiths. Did they finally get the hint that they’ve been ghosted? This one wasn’t as bad as the first, but it was still pretty bad. He is seriously obsessed with alcohol. It’s amazing that they’ve made 14 friends just like them, mean, negative, critical, unkind, annoying alcoholics who love nature. The story of the friend who’s foot swelled up but still went on the hike while complaining bitterly the entire time was particularly hard to listen to. Why didn’t they just tell him to take a rest? Matt’s insistence that if the friend didn’t go none of them could go put him in a situation where he had ti go even though he was in a lot of pain because he didn’t want to ruin the trip for everyone else. The dialogue is painful because it’s so repetitive. Why do these people repeat themselves so much? And why does the author feel the need to tell us every repetition? There was one sweet moment between Matt and Karen when she remembered their first date and told him she loved him, which I guess is rare for these two. I get the feeling he is deeply uncomfortable with intimacy. He has to badly try to be a comedian at all times to try to pretend any true connection or feeling. I get the feeling he likes doing outdoorsy stuff just to say that he did it and to prove that he’s physically fit. Everything is a competition, who’s winning and losing, who’s on top. He doesn’t think of his wife as his partner, more like an advisory he needs to criticize and put down, but in a way where he’s trying ti be funny so it’s not overt emotional abuse. I am glad we got one sweet moment between them but I wish he had initiated it instead of her. The only reason I’m listening to these audiobooks is because it’s free on audible with my subscription. He was right about the title, it is a stupid title and they should have called it “Dear Mom and Sue 2” Well, now I’m on to the next book from these two, which is named Dear Bob and Sue 2 but in my heart I will think of it as 3, it’s proper name.
May 17, 2021
I'm addicted to the Matt and Karen Smith books and podcasts, and Dories, Ho! delivered the consistent storytelling and humor that reconfirmed my opinion of these authors as great entertainers.
As they move from hiking trail to white water, we ride along as the Smiths venture into new territory for them - group travel, white water, and camping under the stars sans tent. This satisfies my vicarious outdoor travel bug like few other books do, even though I am unlikely to ever complete a journey such as this one.
The history of the Grand Canyon and biographies of some of the notable Colorado River guides are covered, but it is the personalities of the adventures and their friends that make these trips come to life. We can easily imagine Karen and Lolly waving tourists away from the Delicate Arch so they can get a picture free of pesky visitors - with John and Matt slinking off to the car pretending they don't know the women.
As the couple considered trying out this new water travel, it revealed more about Karen's imaginary wish bucket with imaginary wishes. As Matt discovers, "Karen has a lot of dreams that she doesn't share with me until they either come true or I've dashed them somehow. Then she tells me about them." This dry humor permeates the entire story of their river rafting trip, and yet despite sarcasm and the occasional bite to the tone, the authors are obviously respectful and grateful of the park employees, vendors, river guides, and all the other staff at various locations who make their trips both possible and spectacular.
As they move from hiking trail to white water, we ride along as the Smiths venture into new territory for them - group travel, white water, and camping under the stars sans tent. This satisfies my vicarious outdoor travel bug like few other books do, even though I am unlikely to ever complete a journey such as this one.
The history of the Grand Canyon and biographies of some of the notable Colorado River guides are covered, but it is the personalities of the adventures and their friends that make these trips come to life. We can easily imagine Karen and Lolly waving tourists away from the Delicate Arch so they can get a picture free of pesky visitors - with John and Matt slinking off to the car pretending they don't know the women.
As the couple considered trying out this new water travel, it revealed more about Karen's imaginary wish bucket with imaginary wishes. As Matt discovers, "Karen has a lot of dreams that she doesn't share with me until they either come true or I've dashed them somehow. Then she tells me about them." This dry humor permeates the entire story of their river rafting trip, and yet despite sarcasm and the occasional bite to the tone, the authors are obviously respectful and grateful of the park employees, vendors, river guides, and all the other staff at various locations who make their trips both possible and spectacular.
March 28, 2022
Dories, Ho!: Floating the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, by Matt & Karen Smith (2018, audiobook 8+ hours). This is a travelogue of the author and his wife describing a multi day commercial dory trip from Lees Ferry to Phantom Ranch, apparently one of many adventures they’ve published in books, blogs, and podcasts. Unfortunately, it was not until twelve chapters in that they got to anything about the river trip! I’m sure they’re a delightful couple, but this book is more about the authors than the journey by dory through part of the amazing Grand Canyon—the purported subject of the book. My personal preference was to have heard more about the canyon and the dory experience than the quirks and personalities of the authors, their attempts at humor, and interactions with their fellow travelers. In retrospect, I should have looked at their website which they presumptuously claim as “your source for travel inspiration.” They literally describe their webpages in the third person: “Matt and Karen’s website, cleverly named mattandkaren.com, is where they post travel-related content when they’re not traveling or working on their podcast…” So no, I do not recommend this book unless you find the Smiths as delightful as they find themselves.
April 14, 2023
I loved their book "Dear Bob & Sue." Looking forward to reading their other adventure books. This one was O.K.
"Travel with Matt and Karen as they float down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. In September 2016, they experienced the trip of a lifetime with 14 friends and a crew of 10 while traveling in wooden dories through the canyon. Dories, Ho! is a story of their adventure and discovery.
Similar to their first travel memoir Dear Bob and Sue, this book is as much about their relationship as it is their fantastic trip. Matt and Karen’s quirky writing style is both humorous and irreverent. It’s fun, laugh out loud, and an easy read.
While not intended to be a traditional guidebook, anyone contemplating a river trip through the Grand Canyon will benefit from this firsthand account. The reader will feel as if they’ve traveled with the authors on their journey to and through Grand Canyon National Park."
"Travel with Matt and Karen as they float down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. In September 2016, they experienced the trip of a lifetime with 14 friends and a crew of 10 while traveling in wooden dories through the canyon. Dories, Ho! is a story of their adventure and discovery.
Similar to their first travel memoir Dear Bob and Sue, this book is as much about their relationship as it is their fantastic trip. Matt and Karen’s quirky writing style is both humorous and irreverent. It’s fun, laugh out loud, and an easy read.
While not intended to be a traditional guidebook, anyone contemplating a river trip through the Grand Canyon will benefit from this firsthand account. The reader will feel as if they’ve traveled with the authors on their journey to and through Grand Canyon National Park."
October 5, 2021
I really enjoyed this book, not as much as Dear Bob and Sue, but it was darn good. The author is so good at story telling, keeping it real and humorous, but sharing the amazing adventures that he and Karen have embarked upon. I really like that all of the various places that they go to, hiking trails, rapids, visitor areas, lodging, suggestions, etc. are included in the book. The book is almost like it's own travel guide to read and prepare for the same adventure.
I am both intrigued and scared about the possibility of traveling down the Colorado River, but it sounds like an amazing adventure. So thankful that Matt and Karen Smith write so candidly about their travels.
On top of the story itself, the narrator does such a phenomenal job reading the book. A perfect match for the story and the listener.
I am both intrigued and scared about the possibility of traveling down the Colorado River, but it sounds like an amazing adventure. So thankful that Matt and Karen Smith write so candidly about their travels.
On top of the story itself, the narrator does such a phenomenal job reading the book. A perfect match for the story and the listener.
June 10, 2018
Thoroughly Enjoyable
For anyone who has an interest in reading first hand experiences of outdoor adventures through the experience of a mid life couple, this is for you!! There are plenty of books out there by tge 20 somethings that are inspirational, if you have the stamina and life commitments (or lack tgere of) to maje ut woek at that age. Colorado River is a bucket list item for me personally that may not get the check off due to early onset of health problems. I laughed at the real life humor included in these adventures as Matt laughed at himself. I also enjoyed their previous book, Dear Bob and Sue.
For anyone who has an interest in reading first hand experiences of outdoor adventures through the experience of a mid life couple, this is for you!! There are plenty of books out there by tge 20 somethings that are inspirational, if you have the stamina and life commitments (or lack tgere of) to maje ut woek at that age. Colorado River is a bucket list item for me personally that may not get the check off due to early onset of health problems. I laughed at the real life humor included in these adventures as Matt laughed at himself. I also enjoyed their previous book, Dear Bob and Sue.
April 30, 2023
Another good Matt & Karen book! I've previously read all three "Dear Bob & Sue" books. Matt claims to be the writer and Karen the researcher in this collaborative project. They are good storytellers as well as informative. I'll never be able to "float" down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, but I appreciated their descriptions of beauty, their hikes along the river, and of how the process of camping along the river was handled to "leave no trace." It is complicated on a multi-day camping trip, where thousands of people will pass that way during a season; everything handled with relative ease by the experienced crew!
March 7, 2024
I loved this book! First found Matt and Karen Smith through their podcast and started reading the books about a year and a half later. This book inspires me to do my own float trip down through the Grand Canyon.
I appreciate the realism and humor that Matt and Karen bring to their books. You can really imagine the situations unfolding around them, and by providing a realistic view into their trips, they also make me realize that I can also have adventures like these, as another non-pro athlete/adventurer. Everything is not perfect, nor optimized, in their trips, and that is a feeling with which one can easily empathize.
I appreciate the realism and humor that Matt and Karen bring to their books. You can really imagine the situations unfolding around them, and by providing a realistic view into their trips, they also make me realize that I can also have adventures like these, as another non-pro athlete/adventurer. Everything is not perfect, nor optimized, in their trips, and that is a feeling with which one can easily empathize.
November 17, 2018
Matt Smith writes of the experience of rafting down the Colorado with wife Karen and a group of friends. Do not read this book unless you enjoy laughing! Out loud...and often. Not only does Matt make the reader feel as if they were in the raft as well, but he manages to create sublime descriptions of the beauty of the Grand Canyon as well as inserting tidbits of information that would be useful if you decided to take the ride yourself. Highly recommended for armchair adventurers AND honest to goodness adventurers.
September 3, 2022
Matt and Karen Smith have become friends and references with this second travel book. My husband and I listened to this one while on a road trip and while considering a ride down the Colorado. Their humor and teasing banter is a fun backdrop to some very useful information. Even though their trip was all fun, they fill in with some of what could happen by telling bits of what they heard or saw from other adventurers along the way (or after). This one will not become the reference book that “Dear Bob and Sue” became for us, but we loved it.
October 13, 2025
Interested in floating down the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon? This book details the excursion of a NPS travel log couple as they spend 2+weeks floating down the Colorado, actually responsible for paddling boat, helping with meal time and chores along the way, and otherwise living and sleeping on the river (bank). It’s a good read especially if you’re interested in doing the trip yourself, but quite interesting and entertaining if you’ve seen the river front the put in point at Lee’s Ferry or anywhere along the Grand Canyon.
February 18, 2018
I am a big fan of the authors’ first book, Dear Bob and Sue, but was somewhat skeptical whether this one would be as enjoyable. It did not disappoint! In this book, Matt and Karen Smith, together with 14 friends and a crew of 10, travel in wooden dories through the Grand Canyon. The story is informative, interesting, hysterical, and inspirational. A float trip through the Grand Canyon is now on my bucket list!
July 17, 2018
I took a Grand Canyon rafting trip last year and I've hiked the canyon and stayed at Phantom Ranch so I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, it disappointed me. It simply isn't well written. I did enjoy the descriptions of the places I was familiar with but the dialog that was intended to be amusing was painfully boring and tedious. I'm sure The Smith's are nice people and I admire their pursuit of adventures. I wish I had liked this book more.
January 5, 2021
What a trip down the Colorado River of the Grand Canyon! A fun read as I was not on this trip - not in shape and too old for a trip like this but fun to read of others trials and troubles on their lifetime dream trip. It would be nice to be as young as they are and with the finances to be able to travel whenever and wherever you wished. I did learn a lot about the history of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. I have visited the Grand Canyon twice and it is a beautiful place.
February 4, 2023
This was my 2nd book I've read by this author. It didn't make me laugh the whole way through like the last one.
It has however made me add this trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to my ever growing bucket list! *And I now know what a dory is.
As a practice run for this trip they hiked to Havasu Falls, which is still my favorite place I've ever seen.
As I listened I could picture their surroundings and the unbelievably beautiful color of the water.
It has however made me add this trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to my ever growing bucket list! *And I now know what a dory is.
As a practice run for this trip they hiked to Havasu Falls, which is still my favorite place I've ever seen.
As I listened I could picture their surroundings and the unbelievably beautiful color of the water.
November 16, 2017
Another humorous book from Matt and Karen. Having gone on the river before, I could really imagine where they were and the rapids they discussed. The book makes me want to go on the river again. If you’ve never been I think if you are the adventurous sort, the book will make you want to go. Having done the entire river, I suggest that instead of only to Phantom Ranch.
September 18, 2018
I really enjoyed traveling down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon with Karen and Matt! I felt like I was there, minus the scorpions! I could imagine seeing the Milky Way. I loved the humor too. This book is such a fun read, teaching a bit about Dory boating and the canyon! I can’t wait to read about the Smiths’ next adventures!
October 2, 2019
Listened to this on a road trip around the Grand Canyon/Lees Ferry area. Great book! Listened with my kids (ages 8-12) and they enjoyed it as well. Only downfall was the language, which was a little disappointing to hear. Besides the language, I recommend this book if you are visiting the area or ever want to hike/raft in the Grand Canyon.
October 28, 2019
Delightful!
Read all 4 of their books. Enjoyed every single one. I read parts of the book out loud to my husband and he wanted to know how the story ended too. I started referring to Matt and Karen as "my people" whenever I was referencing something in the books. Being a National Park Geek, these books are what I hope to achieve!
Read all 4 of their books. Enjoyed every single one. I read parts of the book out loud to my husband and he wanted to know how the story ended too. I started referring to Matt and Karen as "my people" whenever I was referencing something in the books. Being a National Park Geek, these books are what I hope to achieve!
May 12, 2020
Enjoyed this book so much. Not interested in strenuous hikes and taking my chances on rapids but this book makes me want everything else they experienced (well maybe not scorpions either). This was my 3rd book of theirs and it did not disappoint. I have my 4th book of theirs on order! An entertaining read, for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2021
I really enjoy the Dear Bob and Sue books, so I was excited to hear they had another book with the same narrator. This one was really good and made me laugh or loud while at the gym, but I just felt it wasn't AS good as Bob and Sue. It seemed like maybe they needed a bit of "filler" at times because this adventure wasn't nearly as long as what they cover in the Bob and Sue books.
February 18, 2023
This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I enjoyed this author's riding style and look forward to reading his other books. I love a good travel book and this did not disappoint. I felt like I was on the trip with him, his wife and their friends....and I wished I could have been there with all of them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews