Dear Bob and Sue

Book Synopsis: Dear Bob and Sue is the story of our (Matt and Karen Smith) journey to all 59 U.S. National Parks. We wrote the book as a series of emails to our friends, Bob and Sue, in which we share our humorous and quirky observations. It is at times irreverent, unpredictable and sarcastic, all in the spirit of humor. We describe a few of our experiences in each park but do not provide an exhaustive overview of each experience or park. We did not intend for this book to be a travel guide nor a recommendation for how to visit all 59 of the U.S. National Parks although many readers have said they’ve found it to be a useful guide. Rather, it is our story about how we did it.

If you enjoy quirky humor set in the magnificent U.S. National Parks, this book may be for you. If you are looking for eloquent descriptions of the natural beauty we encountered or detailed descriptions of every activity you can do in each park, there are many other books available where you can find that information. All that said, many readers have commented that it’s “laugh out loud” funny and a light-hearted glimpse of our journey through the parks. Some have voiced concerns about the language we used in the book. We are not entirely sure which are the offending words, but here are a few possible candidates. There is a point in the book where Matt suggests that one of the caves at Carlsbad Caverns National Park be named Put Your Scrotum in a Vise Cave. Another passage mentions that Matt has a low tolerance for bullshit. Still, another quotes Karen as saying that men who use a laptop while it sits directly on their lap expose themselves to the risk of “cooking their testicles.” For the sake of full disclosure, Karen’s testicle comment offends Matt as well. These are representative examples of what we feel are the most “adult” language usages in the book. If these are offensive to you, then you might re-consider whether you should read this book. We also talk about drinking beer and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Based on comments we’ve received from readers, we should warn you about these as well.