Grandma and Grandson’s National Park Tour Makes Stop in Wyoming
Joy Ryan is 89 years-young and nothing is stopping her and her grandson from seeing every National Park in the country, according to ABC News.
Brad Ryan was a student at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. In 2009, he went on a hike through the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. When talking about his hike to his grandmother she said how she regrets never seeing the mountains and exploring. Joy is a small-town girl who just never got out when she was younger.
In 2015, Brad was in his fourth year of college and needed a break, so he took a break with his grandmother and they went to the Great Smoky Mountains. Since then they have been to 29 of the 61 National Parks. Brad and Joy have been to Badlands, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone just to name a few. You can see Grandma Joy right in front of Old Faithful.
Brad's favorite part so far is when his then 87-year-old grandmother rolling down the sand dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park. "Watching my grandmother tap into her inner child as she rolled down a sand dune at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve at age 87," Brad told ABC News.
They even had to wait in traffic due to a traffic jam the bison herd caused (don't worry Grandma Joy didn't get out to pet any of them).
The plan is to visit the rest of the parks in 2020. Joy will be 90 then and her grandson couldn't think of a better way to celebrate. You can follow them on Instagram to see their journey @grandmajorsroadtrip. Also, if you would like to help fund this amazing journey there is a GoFundMe set up.