Five years ago, Brad Ryan’s Grandma Joy admitted she’d never been camping or seen any mountain ranges. So, Brad decided it was time to take Joy on a road trip.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was the pair’s first adventure and they haven’t stopped since.
Despite Ryan living in Washington D.C. and Joy living in Ohio, Ryan says he felt a calling:
“I wanted to ensure she was not forgotten and that she was given the opportunity to live the life of adventure she had never been able to fulfil.”
During the summer of 2017, the dynamic duo travelled 10,000 miles around the country and visited 21 U.S. National Parks in 28 days.
So far, they have spent a total of 50 days on the road traveling 25,000 miles through 38 states in every corner of the country.
Ryan says: “Everywhere we go people are inspired by Grandma Joy’s spirit and attitude. She believes you’re never too old to try something once whether it’s rolling down a sand dune in Great Sand Dunes National Park or hiking 5 miles round trip to see the Alum Cave Bluffs in the Smokies.”
Throughout his travels with Grandma Joy, Ryan says she has shown him that time is the most precious, fleeting commodity we have, and that tomorrow is never guaranteed.
