Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast

Matt and Karen Smith
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Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast

In Dear Bob and Sue, authors Matt and Karen Smith share stories of their travels to all of the U.S. National Park as well as other spectacular public lands. From adventures gone awry to memorable moments and Q&As from readers, get to know the couple behind the books and get inspired to go on some adventures of your own.

  1. Mailbag: Our Trip to Italy’s Dolomites and More!

    1 OCT

    Mailbag: Our Trip to Italy’s Dolomites and More!

    In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us. In this episode, we cover these topics: ·     An overview of recent national park news, ·     A discussion about our trip to Italy and our experience in the beautiful Dolomites, ·     Our opinion about what not to miss on a visit to Cuyahoga National Park, ·     Whether it’s worth visiting Yosemite National Park in April or May, ·     Ideas for a family vacation in the Southwest during March or April, ·     And more! The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.  Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.  Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    51 min
  2. Glacier National Park Planning Guide

    29 AUG

    Glacier National Park Planning Guide

    Glacier National Park is considered the “crown of the continent” because of its pristine beauty, rugged wilderness, and magnificent wildlife. While the park is open all year, summer is the primetime for visitors. However, the window to visit while the park is relatively snow-free and the main roads are open is narrow. With a limited number of days to experience all the park offers, competition for lodging and activity reservations is keen. In this episode, we give an overview of what you need to know to plan a summer trip to the park and offer tips to provide you with the best chance at being prepared once you get there. We talk about the various areas of the park, details about the Going-To-the-Sun Road, the park’s free shuttle, popular trails, lodging options inside and outside the park, campsites, and more. Here are a few links related to this episode: Glacier National Park’s webpage regarding the free shuttle system Glacier National Park’s webpage about the historic lodges and chalets Granite Park Chalet’s website Sperry Chalet’s website Learn more about boat tours in the park at Glacier Park Boat Company ·     Link to our Patreon account The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out. And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com. Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show. Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com. To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    55 min
  3. Mailbag: Petrified Forest National Park and More!

    22 JUL

    Mailbag: Petrified Forest National Park and More!

    In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.   In this episode, we cover these topics: ·     Zion National Park is working on a new visitor use management plan, ·     Issues related to Mount Rainier National Park’s new timed-entry system this summer (2024), ·     Tips on making the most of a visit to Petrified Forest National Park, ·     Where to stay when visiting Yellowstone National Park, ·     When’s the best time to visit both Death Valley and Yosemite National Parks, ·     And more!   The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.   Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.   Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.   To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    51 min
  4. Bucket List Adventures in the National Parks

    27 JUN

    Bucket List Adventures in the National Parks

    What’s on your bucket list? It’s a topic everyone is talking about these days, and we have a few suggestions for anyone who loves our national parks and public lands.   Back in the day, our list was simple; visit all the U.S. national parks. But once we checked them all off, we realized our list was longer than when we started. In this episode, we talk about some of the most popular places to see and things to do that people put on their bucket list; what they want to do before they kick the bucket.   Many of the places we discuss we’ve been to before, some we haven’t, and many more we’ll probably keep going back to again and again. From once-in-a-lifetime wildlife viewing experiences to backcountry lodges and more, we share with you some awe-inspiring suggestions you might not have heard of before.   So, get out a pen and paper (or if you aren’t as old as we are, feel free to type some notes into your phone) and join us as we imagine the bucket list possibilities our public lands hold in store.   The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.   And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.   Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.   Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.   To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 4m
  5. An Epic Colorado National Park Road Trip Loop

    13 JUN

    An Epic Colorado National Park Road Trip Loop

    Join us as we take you on an epic road trip to all four of Colorado’s national parks!   These four parks are incredibly diverse, and this trip will have you driving through alpine forests in the Rocky Mountains, hiking up the tallest sand dunes in North America, climbing ladders as you explore cultural treasures, and standing on the rim of a seemingly bottomless dark canyon.   We’ve organized this episode with the road trip starting in Denver and driving clockwise around the state, but you can pick up our trail anywhere along the loop. And we’ve made suggestions for several add-on sites you’ll also want to consider, including Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Chimney Rock National Monument, and a mountain pass highway in southwest Colorado with million-dollar views.   Summer is here, and it’s time to hit the road. And we have the perfect itinerary planned for you – coming up!   Here are a few helpful links related to this episode: ·     Where to get Mesa Verde NP tour tickets ·     A link to Pike Peak’s website where you can buy visitor and vehicle timed-entry tickets ·     More information about Rocky Mountain National Park’s timed entry permit program ·     Link to our Patreon account   The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.   And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.   Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.   Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.   To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    56 min
  6. Three Perfect Days in the Columbia River Gorge

    2 MAY

    Three Perfect Days in the Columbia River Gorge

    Carved by the once-wild Columbia River, the Columbia River Gorge is a dramatic canyon that snakes through the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest on its way to the Pacific Ocean. It's an area of stunning natural beauty with endless outdoor adventure options.   Using the town of Hood River, Oregon, as our home base, we recently visited the gorge in search of waterfalls. (The area has nearly 100.) And being that it was spring when we were there, the waterfalls did not disappoint -- especially the famous Multnomah Falls – the most-visited single natural attraction in the Pacific Northwest.   In this episode, we talk about several of the best waterfalls in the area, a couple of breathtaking trails to hike close to Hood River, a state park you won’t want to miss, and some of the restaurants and breweries we visited. We also share a little history of the area.   A few links we mentioned in this episode: ·     KURU Footwear’s website https://www.kurufootwear.com/ ·     A link to KURU’s RIDGE Motion shoes ·     Link to our Patreon account   The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.   And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.   Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.   Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.   To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    59 min
  7. Celebrating National Park Week

    18 APR

    Celebrating National Park Week

    Each year, the National Park Service celebrates National Park Week in April. And this year, they’ve planned events from April 20th through April 28th.   In this episode, we highlight some of the activities that will happen during National Park Week, give a brief history of the creation of the NPS, and interview our special guest, Jacob Wolfley, who recently spent a summer as an intern park range at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota.   Jacob will enlighten us on what it takes to score a job or internship at a national park, what it’s like working as a ranger, and his ambitions for a possible career with the NPS.   So, tune in and get ready to learn about the NPS and all the exciting activities coming up in National Park Week.   Here are a couple of links related to the topics we discussed in this episode: ·     Find out more information about National Park Week here ·     Here is a link to the National Park Service’s jobs site ·     Check out our interview guest, Jacob Wolfley, on Instagram   The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.   And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.   Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.   Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.   To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    58 min
  8. Mailbag: Visiting Guadalupe Mountains National Park and More!

    4 APR

    Mailbag: Visiting Guadalupe Mountains National Park and More!

    In our Mailbag! episodes, we answer questions from listeners about the national parks, ranger-led tours, road trips, hiking, camping, backpacking, gear, relationships, and pretty much whatever anyone wants to ask us.   In this episode, we cover these topics: ·     An overview of some of the closures within the national parks this year, ·     Suggestions for hikes in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, ·     Tips for avoiding altitude sickness when traveling to high-elevation parks, ·     Common mistakes people make when planning a trip to the national parks, ·     Relationship advice for couples who are together 24/7, ·     And more!   The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out.   And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com.   Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.   Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.   To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 hr
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About

In Dear Bob and Sue, authors Matt and Karen Smith share stories of their travels to all of the U.S. National Park as well as other spectacular public lands. From adventures gone awry to memorable moments and Q&As from readers, get to know the couple behind the books and get inspired to go on some adventures of your own.

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