Joy Ryan, 89, has lived in Ohio all her life and has never seen the ocean or mountains. When her grandson Brad, a veterinarian from Washington DC, suggested a trip, she said yes.
The first trip took place five years ago. Grandma and her grandson travelled to Great Smoky Mountain National Park. “Grandma was imbued with a love of nature and a thirst for adventure,” recalls Brad.
In the summer of 2017, the grandson and grandmother tandem embarked on a massive 28-day trip across the country. They visited 21 US national parks.
By August 2019, the travellers had spent 50 days on the road. They had travelled more than 40,000km and passed through 38 states, visiting every corner of the country. In four years of travelling across America, they have visited 29 national parks.
While travelling, Joy Ryan said: “I realised that time is the most precious and fleeting thing we have.”
“Everywhere we go, people are inspired by Grandma Joy’s life attitude,” Brad shared. He posted photos of his travels on his Facebook page, which he called ‘Grandma Joy’. There’s a play on words here.