Review of Dear Bob and Sueby Rosa Dear Bob and Sue is the title of a book that is made of a series of emails . Matt and Karen are the authors of this book . They are a married couple , in their 50 ’ s , and are retired , empty - nesters . One day they hit the road to visit all 59 nation parks in the United States . Their travels took place over a span of two years . They wrote the emails that comprise this book , to their friends , Bob and Sue . When my non - fiction book club member , Rosemary , chose this book for the coming December session , everyone happily welcomed her selection . All members were definitely struggling with stress hangover , not from booze , but from the election . For me , I needed to skedaddle from media , television and radio , especially YouTube channels , that were plastered with shenanigans and fake news . ‘ Dear Bob and Sue ’ is neither a travel information guide book nor philosophical book , but rather about nature and wildlife , and a life that full of insights and meditative ideas , like ‘ Walden ’ written by Henry David Thoreau who is called naturalist . It is more like a Bill Bryson ’ s styled book . He is an extremely sophisticated , highly explicit humorous writer . Sometimes , Bill Bryson ’ s humor demands a little time for thought , in order to understand and laugh out loud . In the same manner , Matt and Karen ’ emails are full of fun and banter , that make readers crack up instantly . When they talk about some National parks where I have visited , I was more pleased and reminisced old memories . Up to now , I have visited 11 national parks . The following stories outline a brief history of national parks in the States , and my personal episodes from my visits . Many of America ’ s most beautiful and historical locations have been set aside for the public as National Parks . The idea of national parks grew out of the conservation movement of the 19 th century . During this era , pioneers had the freedom to move onto unoccupied wilderness land and file a claim of ownership . In order for their claim to be made permanent and title to their land claim to be legal , they had to improve the land by building a home , digging a well , etc . Claiming wilderness land was a challenge , because the settlers needed to be self - sufficient . The nearest store or trading post might be hundreds of miles away , so the settlers had to carry their food with them , and then live off the land in order to survive . Many of America ’ s national parks are in the mountains , canyons , deserts , or geothermal areas where farming is almost impossible . Over time , these areas were designated as national parks , before too many people attempted to move into these areas and claim land . This was done to keep this land as pristine and natural as possible , for future generations to enjoy . The first area in the U . S . to be designated as a national park was the super - volcano caldera of Yellowstone in 1872 . In 1879 , the U . S . Department of the Interior established the Department of the United States Geological Survey , and tasked it with surveying and mapping the country . It was from this mapping that the government could get a sense of where these areas of the country were . Over the next two decades , four more national parks were created . President Theodore Roosevelt ( 1901 – 1909 ) signed legislation to establish five more national parks , doubling the number from 5 to 10 . One of the national parks created by President Roosevelt is Mesa Verde National Park , established in 1906 , in southwest Colorado . I have visited this park , and it was amazing . Mesa is a Spanish word that means ‘ flat - top ’, and verde is a Spanish word that means ‘ green ’. So , Mesa Verde is a green flat - top mountain at the edge of the Great American Desert on the southwest side of the Rocky Mountains . Mesa Verde was the ancestral home of the Puebloan Native Americans . They built their homes in huge hollowed areas below the edges of the canyon walls . These homes of stone look like small cities . It is assumed that they were built in these locations because of the lack of water in the area . These few places where they built their homes had natural water seeps . These areas were also easier to defend against the invading Navajo tribes that eventually drove the Pueblo tribes out of the area . I was so lucky to have our special tour guide . His name is David Night - Eagle . He introduced himself as a Musician , and his Mom was Lakota band of the Sioux Tribal Nation , and his father was Austrian . He played anIndian flute for us , which he had made himself . After that trip , I ordered his CD . It is very useful to me when I need meditation . Another National park that I have visited is Shenandoah National Park , established in 1925 by President Calvin Coolidge , in the state of Virginia . The park is 169 kilometers long , and encompasses a ridgeline in the Blue Ridge Mountains . While camping in this park , a wild black bear wandered through the campgrounds . I have also visited the Grand Canyon , which was established under President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 , and covers more than 5 , 400 sq . kilometers . Almost 6 million people visit Grand Canyon National Park each year . The Grand Canyon is 1 , 480 meters deep from the rim to the river . I was able to fly over this canyon in a helicopter , and also to see the Hoover Dam during that flight . Two summers ago , I had the opportunity to visit Yellowstone National Park . It took 11 hours to drive there , but was worth the trip . Yellowstone contains almost 10 , 000 square kilometers , and covers portions of three states . It was in mid - summer July , and at night it snowed . I saw wild Bison there , as well as antelope . Yellowstone is a geothermal super - volcano caldera , directly above an enormous magma chamber . That chamber is approximately 17 km beneath the park , and is 90 km long and 40 km wide . Water gathered in the ancient volcanic vents are in a constant state of boiling , and sometimes spray into the air . During that visit , I mentioned to my spouse , that ‘ it the boiling vents beside the walking path would be a perfect conduit to boil eggs in , but I didn ’ t attempt it . ( Recently , I watched a Korean TV news program that mentioned an incident in Yellowstone park . One visitor had tried to boil a chicken with this boiling water and was spotted by the Park Rangers . He was served with a large citation , or fine . ) The most famous of these is named ‘ Old Faithful ’, which erupts on a regular basis . I stood among hundreds of people when it erupted , spraying boiling water more than 60 meters into the air . The water drops cool before they land on the crowds , but are still warm . It was a unique experience . Currently , I live very near to Rocky Mountain National Park . Even though I have a season pass to visit there , it has not always been easy to do so . Drought and dry weather have created dangerous wildfire conditions . This year , 2020 , two wildfires in the park burned more than 820 square kilometers of forest . Many times this past summer , all of the Front Range mountains nearby were invisible because of the smoke . As good citizens , it is our responsibility to do our part to keep these national park treasures safe and in good repair for our descendants . There is a saying , ‘ Take only pictures , and leave only footprints ’, that is forever in my heart and mind when I visit these places . Reviewing this book and recalling these fond memories of national park visits I have made , puts me in a mind to see more of them . As I have stated , I have been to 11 national parks , which means that I have 48 more yet to see .