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Matt and Karen

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Month: November 2020

Posted on November 9, 2020December 29, 2020

2020 Holiday Gift Guide

Welcome to our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide!

YETI 14 oz Rambler with lid
(about $25)
I love mine! Still looks new after many road trips.

Continue reading “2020 Holiday Gift Guide”
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Fall is a great season to visit many of our national parks: cooler temperatures, changing colors, and in some places fewer visitors. But autumn also brings snow and road closures to higher elevation parks. So what parks should you visit during specific times of the year, you ask? On today’s episode 50 of the Dear Bob and Sue Podcast we’re going season by season, talking about which parks are great to visit during the winter, spring, summer and fall. We cover all 63 national parks, taking into account factors like weather, crowds, seasonal road conditions, wildflowers, fall foliage, special events and much more. We hope you’ll take away a few tips that’ll come in handy when planning your next tropical winter getaway, spring break destination, summer vacation or fall road trip. You can find the Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
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Fall is a great season to visit many of our national parks: cooler temperatures, changing colors, and in some places fewer visitors. But autumn also brings snow and road closures to higher elevation parks.

So what parks should you visit during specific times of the year, you ask? On today’s episode 50 of the Dear Bob and Sue Podcast we’re going season by season, talking about which parks are great to visit during the winter, spring, summer and fall.

We cover all 63 national parks, taking into account factors like weather, crowds, seasonal road conditions, wildflowers, fall foliage, special events and much more. We hope you’ll take away a few tips that’ll come in handy when planning your next tropical winter getaway, spring break destination, summer vacation or fall road trip.

You can find the Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

20 hours ago
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1/9
One of the few positives about summer coming to an end is that now we’ll be awake for both sunrise and sunset. What was the highlight of your summer? 📷: by @lollyanderson, on the Black Elk Peak Trail
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One of the few positives about summer coming to an end is that now we’ll be awake for both sunrise and sunset.

What was the highlight of your summer?

📷: by @lollyanderson, on the Black Elk Peak Trail

3 days ago
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2/9
When it comes to the premier hikes in Zion, it’s a tale of extremes: walking on slippery rocks through a river with canyon walls rising a thousand feet above you, or clutching a chain out on a precipice with the ground a thousand feet below you. (We’ve always been partial to water.) Also included on the list of legendary Zion hikes is the Subway. We have permits to hike that one soon- can’t wait to see what it has in store for us.
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When it comes to the premier hikes in Zion, it’s a tale of extremes: walking on slippery rocks through a river with canyon walls rising a thousand feet above you, or clutching a chain out on a precipice with the ground a thousand feet below you.

(We’ve always been partial to water.)

Also included on the list of legendary Zion hikes is the Subway. We have permits to hike that one soon- can’t wait to see what it has in store for us.

5 days ago
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3/9
Heartbreaking news yesterday afternoon about the advance of the KNP Complex fire, spreading to within a mile of the Giant Forest Grove, home to 2,000 giant sequoias including the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on earth by volume. Officials worry the flames could reach the grove within a day. If there was any bright spot in yesterday’s devastating developments, for us it was reading about the firefighters who wrapped the giant sequoias in fire-resistant materials, working tirelessly to save them as the fire continued to advance. 🙏🙏🙏🙏 Photo: An unnamed sequoia along the Giant Forest Loop Trail, a 7-mile hike through one of the most beautiful forests in our national parks.
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Heartbreaking news yesterday afternoon about the advance of the KNP Complex fire, spreading to within a mile of the Giant Forest Grove, home to 2,000 giant sequoias including the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on earth by volume. Officials worry the flames could reach the grove within a day.

If there was any bright spot in yesterday’s devastating developments, for us it was reading about the firefighters who wrapped the giant sequoias in fire-resistant materials, working tirelessly to save them as the fire continued to advance.
🙏🙏🙏🙏

Photo: An unnamed sequoia along the Giant Forest Loop Trail, a 7-mile hike through one of the most beautiful forests in our national parks.

7 days ago
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4/9
This is one of those posts where we’re crying about summer flying by so quickly as we’re eating candy corn and a giant pumpkin pie from Costco.
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This is one of those posts where we’re crying about summer flying by so quickly as we’re eating candy corn and a giant pumpkin pie from Costco.

1 week ago
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5/9
We’ve been showcasing some different lodging options in the parks this week, and yurts are somewhere between the luxury of the grand hotels and setting up your tent and sleeping on the ground. Similar in appearance (and fun) to a circus tent, yurts typically come furnished with beds, table/chairs and a futon. You supply your own bedding, meals, water and clowns. Most of them don’t have kitchens, and you’ll likely have to take a stroll outside to get to the bathroom, but it’s a small price to pay for such a unique experience inside a park.
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We’ve been showcasing some different lodging options in the parks this week, and yurts are somewhere between the luxury of the grand hotels and setting up your tent and sleeping on the ground.

Similar in appearance (and fun) to a circus tent, yurts typically come furnished with beds, table/chairs and a futon. You supply your own bedding, meals, water and clowns.

Most of them don’t have kitchens, and you’ll likely have to take a stroll outside to get to the bathroom, but it’s a small price to pay for such a unique experience inside a park.

2 weeks ago
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6/9
A view with a room. Our summer break has come to an end and we’re back with a new episode of the Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, part 1 of a 2-part series about Glacier National Park. In today’s episode we discuss the details of our stay in one of Glacier’s hundred-year-old backcountry chalets, Granite Park. Join us as we share what it was like to experience this wilderness lodge at 6700 feet the same way the very first park-goers did: without electricity, running water, heat or flush toilets, and no modern conveniences to speak of except for Crocs camp shoes and a box of Cheez-Its. We also explain everything you need to know about the backcountry chalet reservations, plus the new reservation system for Going to the Sun Road, as well as the hikers’ shuttle. You can find the Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
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A view with a room.

Our summer break has come to an end and we’re back with a new episode of the Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, part 1 of a 2-part series about Glacier National Park. In today’s episode we discuss the details of our stay in one of Glacier’s hundred-year-old backcountry chalets, Granite Park.

Join us as we share what it was like to experience this wilderness lodge at 6700 feet the same way the very first park-goers did: without electricity, running water, heat or flush toilets, and no modern conveniences to speak of except for Crocs camp shoes and a box of Cheez-Its.

We also explain everything you need to know about the backcountry chalet reservations, plus the new reservation system for Going to the Sun Road, as well as the hikers’ shuttle.

You can find the Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
Last week we were standing on the 2nd floor balcony of the Many Glacier Hotel, wondering if we could get a job here being the winter caretakers when it closed for the season. #theShining This week we’re showcasing some unique lodging options throughout the national parks, and the historic lodges are at the top of our list of favorite places to stay. The architecture, craftsmanship and furnishings of a bygone era, set in some of the most spectacular settings imaginable, are something every park visitor should see. These lodges sell out a year in advance, but if you can’t get reservations, you can hang out in the public spaces, or grab a drink and take in the views. Do you have a favorite historic park lodge?
mattandkarensmith
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Last week we were standing on the 2nd floor balcony of the Many Glacier Hotel, wondering if we could get a job here being the winter caretakers when it closed for the season. #theShining

This week we’re showcasing some unique lodging options throughout the national parks, and the historic lodges are at the top of our list of favorite places to stay. The architecture, craftsmanship and furnishings of a bygone era, set in some of the most spectacular settings imaginable, are something every park visitor should see. These lodges sell out a year in advance, but if you can’t get reservations, you can hang out in the public spaces, or grab a drink and take in the views.

Do you have a favorite historic park lodge?

2 weeks ago
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8/9
In and around the national parks and other public lands we’ve found a variety of fun lodging options: teepees, conestoga wagons, yurts, treehouses, safari-style tents and fire tower lookouts, to name a few. Karen would also love to stay in a cave B&B, but hopefully that’s never an option. Where is the most unique place you’ve ever spent the night while traveling? 📷: @capitolreefresort at sunrise #capitolreefnationalpark
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In and around the national parks and other public lands we’ve found a variety of fun lodging options: teepees, conestoga wagons, yurts, treehouses, safari-style tents and fire tower lookouts, to name a few.

Karen would also love to stay in a cave B&B, but hopefully that’s never an option. Where is the most unique place you’ve ever spent the night while traveling?

📷: @capitolreefresort at sunrise
#capitolreefnationalpark

3 weeks ago
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9/9
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