Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast

Fall is the ideal time of the year to visit New Mexico as the summer heat begins to cool down and the colors become more vibrant in the filtered autumn light. In this episode, we discuss our favorite things to do and see in the Land of Enchantment. Starting in the north and working our way south, we share some of our experiences exploring the unique landscape and cultural history of New Mexico. Whether you are planning a road trip through the state or looking for activities to add to an upcoming visit, we hope you find some inspiration in this episode. Some of the places we cover include: - Chaco Culture National Historical Park - Bandelier National Monument - Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument - Pecos and Fort Union National Historical Parks - Petroglyph National Monument - The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument - Three Rivers Petroglyph Site - White Sands National Park - Ruidoso, Capitan, and the Smokey Bear Historical Park - Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Guadalupe Mountains National Park - And more! Helpful Link: Learn more about the American Battlefield Trust and its work preserving America’s battlefields: American Battlefield Trust ----- We share our stories, photos, and videos in a few different places. Here’s where you’ll find them: Patreon – Behind-the-scenes updates, bonus audio, and more personal storytelling Email newsletter on Substack – Travel tips, suggestions, and whatever we can think to write about each week. Social Media – Everyday observations, humor, recommendations, and quick moments from our travels. Find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok The best way to contact us is at: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a reason to visit Olympic National Park any time of year. While summer is best, each season offers visitors a chance to enjoy this incredibly diverse natural resource. Regardless of how often we visit Olympic we always leave wanting to go back as soon as we can find another couple of free days. Olympic National Park might be more popular than most people realize. In 2023, it was the tenth most visited U.S. national park, with 2,947,503 visitors. Yet despite the number of visitors, it doesn't feel as crowded as some of the other national parks. Places on our top ten list include, · Hurricane Ridge, · Devil’s Punchbowl, · Lake Crescent Lodge, · Marymere Falls, · Sol Duc Falls, · Rialto Beach, · The Hoh Rain Forest, · Ruby Beach, · The lodge and beaches in the Kalaloch area, and · Quinault Rain Forest Check out our companion blog post for this episode here. You’ll find a summary of the items we discussed in this episode, a few photos, and a map. ----- 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 [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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 [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most frequent questions we get from travelers is how to plan a visit to Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton NPs in a single road trip. In this episode, we cover all the details you’ll need to do just that. Without a doubt, these three parks are at the top of our “most spectacular” list. Each has its unique history and landscape, yet they’re all great places to witness once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounters. The other thing they have in common is that they all have mountainous regions. Given their elevations, winter weather can sneak up on you anytime during the year, which makes carefully choosing your dates to visit even more important than with many other destinations. With the current popularity of the national parks, especially these three, embarking on a road trip to see them requires advanced planning. We suggest a year or more before your desired travel date. However, you can do it, and we’ll share all the tips and tricks we know to help you. 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 [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Long before the National Park Service was founded, the U.S. Army was put in charge of protecting America’s national parks. One of the groups that played a crucial role in fulfilling this invaluable service to our country was the Buffalo Soldiers: African American officers and enlisted men serving in the Army. When the regimen stationed in San Francisco was tasked with protecting and developing infrastructure in Sequoia and General Grant (now Kings Canyon) National Parks, these incredibly hardworking soldiers made jaw-dropping progress in their first season of duty. Led by the infamous Captain Charles Young, who was later posthumously promoted to Brigadier General, this group of approximately one hundred men set out to guard and improve these priceless areas. They built roads into the parks and protected the land from poachers and trespassers, making it possible for future generations of visitors to these national treasures. In this episode, we discuss the accomplishments of the Buffalo Soldiers, not just in these two parks but also in Yosemite and the surrounding public lands. --- Click this link for more about us: https://linktr.ee/mattandkaren 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 [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices