Please, No Phone Calls

Presidential hopeful John Kerry was overdue for a vacation, so he looked happy last week snowboarding down the slopes near his Idaho home. He has to be careful. That setup looks glamorous next to President Bush’s Crawford, Texas, ranch. Here’s how the two retreats stack up. –By Nadia Mustafa

IDAHO

HOW SECLUDED? In the town of Ketchum (pop. 3,000), the heart of the popular, celeb-filled Sun Valley vacation area

REAL ESTATE VALUE Kerry’s wife Teresa Heinz Kerry and her first husband bought the house for $4.9 million in 1988

FAVORITE PASTIMES Snowboarding. And he’s good at it. When Kerry took a spill after a Secret Serviceman cut in front of him, he reportedly cursed

DECORATING THEME A 15th century barn that Kerry’s wife and her first husband imported from England

OTHER GETAWAYS Homes near Pittsburgh, Pa., on Nantucket, Mass., and in Washington and Boston

TEXAS

A little less than 10 miles from city hall in Crawford (pop. 700). Usually surrounded by reporters

The Bushes bought the ranch in 1999. Estimated value today: at least $1.5 million

Clearing brush, chopping cedar and bass fishing. The President has called the ranch a “little slice of heaven”

The open ranch-house layout gives plenty of room to roam. So do the 1,600 acres of land

Aside from the White House, it’s Bush’s only residence. But there’s always Camp David