rparks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
I was hesitant to read this book as I found the title to be off putting. I frankly thought it sounded rather boring but I gave it a chance as it came highly recommended and I’m SO glad I did. I chuckled my way through Matt and Karen’s adventures and their marital dynamic was hilarious at times. It was just so much fun and there are some seriously funny stories! I definitely recommend!
***Note for parents***This book was written for adults and therefore there is language that isn’t appropriate for children in which I was a little disappointed as I was hoping to share it with my kids since there are some educational aspects to the book on general.
***Note for parents***This book was written for adults and therefore there is language that isn’t appropriate for children in which I was a little disappointed as I was hoping to share it with my kids since there are some educational aspects to the book on general.
parksandtea's review against another edition
3.0
Glad to encounter these folks in a book and not as visitors.
brontherun's review against another edition
4.0
A light-hearted memoir of a couple's journey to all the national parks.
brontherun's review against another edition
5.0
I really appreciated season 2 more than their first book. While I enjoyed the story of their National Park trips, in this later work they have surpassed it. From a voice perspective their writing has matured, become more authentic and natural I think. That had a huge impact on my rating. In addition, the subject matter expands to include some of their home life and friendships, which flushed out Matt and Karen so much more and made them feel much more like friends sitting around a fire pit or a sunken living room/visitor center. In their ability to expose the reader to opportunities on other public lands and facilities was spectacular. Examples are the duo researching the state archives in Juneau, Alaska or acquiring limited scope permits to collect petrified wood from a regional Bureau of Land Management office in Utah. This book was a fantastic ride, and I am glad they gave up their day jobs to pursue travel and writing!
ellisreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
It’s not exactly a page turner kind of book, but I loved hearing about all the national parks. The authors have a dry sense of humor and endearing banter that I really appreciated.
bramsay55's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
kmg365's review against another edition
3.0
The concept of this book is fantastic. Visiting all the US national parks (or at least the ones with “national park” in their title) is a fabulous idea. Wish I had the means and a travel buddy to do that.
Matt and Karen, however, are (as the kids say these days) problematic. I’m an old curmudgeon and an introvert, so I’m fully aware that “Hell is other people.” However… it takes a deep lack of self-awareness to be annoyed at every turn by the people they encounter on their travels (and by each other), but fail to realize that other people are thinking the same thing about them.
Karen seems to hate all animals (I was really surprised when she allowed a stray cat to sit on her lap, given the fits she threw about squirrels, deer, elk, ferrets, and rodents in general), complains that Matt won’t stop to rest on the trail and also that he stops to take pictures of animals (pretty sure she could rest while he takes pictures of animals), and completely trashed a rental car with salmon jerky because she doesn’t know that you open bags with something sharp, not by pulling until the contents explode everywhere.
But she doesn’t hold a candle to Matt, who packed not one, but three can openers (this became more understandable when you realized that this guy cannot eat a non-breakfast meal that does not include beer), refuses to help his wife carry anything, ever (but sneaks things into her bags), proclaimed that 75 degrees and sunny is “the perfect weather” (don’t tell me what kind of weather to like, bub), mocked the residents of a “dry town” where they’ve gone to buy beer, uses humor of the “take my wife, please” variety, and is the guy who goes to the hotel front desk to complain about lake views, humidity, and the smell of a cleaning product he doesn’t like.
They make a point of saying they don’t dislike birds, but any time a ranger suggested activities related to bird-watching, they both announced their disdain for people who would make an effort just to see a bird, and the concept of life lists were the stuff of hilarity for them. Too bad Little Jimmy Dickens is no longer with us, to sing them a chorus of “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose.”
I did appreciate that they were fine with meals of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, with animal crackers for dessert. They had fast food far more times than they went anywhere fancy, and my Midwestern self appreciates both the simplicity and the frugality of their choices.
Around park #18, I was ready to call it quits. Then they finally walked a trail that they loved. And they liked the next place they visited as well. The bickering ceased for a while, and we heard a story about a beautiful, remote place. And I enjoyed that.
There were a few other places that tempted me to ditch the book, but I persevered, and I’m glad I finished. I just wished every few minutes that I had a different set of guides for my journey.
At least Matt and Karen are a perfect match. Directing much of their complaining to each other saves the rest of us from being on the receiving end of their wrath.
My two favorite moments from the book: At one park (I lost track of which one, but I think it was in Alaska), visitors were asked to contain all food and drink (including alcohol) in a designated area, because the scent was highly likely to attract bears. Guess who thought that was a silly rule? They hadn’t gone more than a few paces with cups of wine before a gun-toting ranger busted them, and shooed them back into the designated food and drink area. That anonymous ranger is now on my American heroes list. The second instance was when, on a fairly rugged hike (during which they had already passed “slow people” with smug satisfaction), a lone gentleman that they judged to be in his seventies passed them, and left them in the dust. He’s another addition to the heroes list.
drubinstein's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
This book was written as a series of emails to friends who couldn't go with this couple on their epic quest to visit all of the national parks. Matt and Karen take turns telling about their days/days at each park, and they give great information, but most importantly they are soooo funny, and the book is really fun. I'm glad I read it as an actual book because as I visit National parks, it will be nice to refer back to this book and see what Matt and Karen had to say about it. It is by no means a true guide book (the book was kind of as much a dialogue about their relationship as about their travels), but I still like their observations. Very easy, funny read.