Culture
‘Grandma Joy and Me’ chronicles an eight-year journey through America’s National Parks
By: Emily Votaw
Posted on:
DUNCAN FALLS, Ohio (WOUB) – When veterinarian Brad Ryan invited his 85-year-old grandmother on a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, he hoped to give her something she had wanted all her life: to see a mountain.
What began as a single weekend trip grew into an eight-year tour through all 63 U.S. national parks. Ryan and his grandmother, Joy Ryan, became national media figures along the way, and Joy officially became the oldest person to visit every park in the country.
Ryan chronicles the experience in his new memoir, Grandma Joy and Me: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time, out June 16 via Simon & Schuster.
Ryan and Joy have since taken their travels beyond the national parks. After finishing all 63, they set a new goal: all seven continents together. The pair has already checked off North America (Canada), South America, Europe, Africa, and Antarctica, with more trips planned this year.
Ryan said he hopes the book encourages readers to spend more time with the older people in their families.
“People don’t realize what they have until it’s gone,” he said. “If you can dial some numbers on your phone and get your grandparent’s voice on the other end of the line, that is the greatest gift in the world.”
You can listen to WOUB’s conversation with Brad Ryan by clicking “play” in the Soundcloud embed above. You can keep tabs on their travels via their Facebook and Instagram accounts.