Brad And Joy
This is Brad Ryan and his lovely grandma Joy. They have been traveling all across the country during the past couple of years and it all started when Joy told Brad that she never visited a national park or a mountain.
Brad couldn’t believe what he was hearing and he decided to do something about it.
How It All Began
Our story starts when Brad finished hiking along the Appalachian Trail and he told his grandma about it. The old lady was amazed because she had never left her small town when she was younger.
When Brad realized that his beloved grandma has never seen a national park, a rather interesting idea came to his mind.
Small Town Girl
Joy has lived in a small town in the US where there are only two traffic lights. She spent all of her time working to provide for her family and she didn’t have too many vacation trips.
Well, this was all about to change because Brad wanted to make Joy his new travel partner.
Visiting The Country
After Joy told Brad that she didn’t see a single national park, the grandson told her to pack her bags because they are leaving on a special trip.
Joy didn’t know what to think about this about first, but Brad told the grandma that he is not going to take a “no” for an answer.
The Smokies
The two started their journey and their first stop was at The Smokies. Joy couldn’t believe how beautiful the view looked and she was in tears.
What shocked her the most is the fact that she missed so many amazing things by working all the time.
Amazing Reaction
After Brad saw the amazing reaction that his grandma had when arrived at The Smokies, he knew that the journey can’t end here.
He asked Joy what other places she would like to visit and without any hesitation, Joy said that she heard from her friends that the Acadia national park is “nice”.
Acadia National Park
Brad took a couple of free days from college and he took Joy to the Acadia national park. As we can see in the picture featured above, seeing so many amazing locations was doing wonders for Joy.
She was feeling happier than she has been in many years.
The Canyons
Brad and Joy took a break from their travels but before they did that, the grandson asked Joy to think about what is the next location that she wants to visit when he manages to get a couple of days off.
Joy already knew the answer to that before he asked. She always wanted to see the famous canyons.
Dreams Come True
It didn’t take long for Brad to be able to get a vacation from his work and the first thing that he did was to take Joy to the canyons.
The 89-years-old grandma was in awe. Her dream of visiting this famous landmark came true!
Better Than Retirement
Brad says that whenever he asks his grandma if she likes the places that they are visiting, she always responds with the same old joke:
> “It’s better than a retirement home”.
Regrets
“She told me at that time that she really, really regretted that she didn’t get to do more of that type of thing and have more experiences in life,” said Brad.
Fortunately, the adventures alongside Brad are helping ease the regrets.
Shenandoah National Park
When asked what was her favorite place that she visited, Joy answered that it was the Shenandoah national park.
According to Brad, there was something special about that made Joy want to never leave again.
Big Smile
Even though Brad is using all his free time to spend with his grandma, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
The young man says that whenever he sees his grandma’s big smile, he feels happy and proud that he is able to give her this type of amazing experiences.
Long Adventure
Until now, the two have visited 9 of the 61 parks, including Badlands, Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Zion, and Mammoth Cave.
In addition, Brad and Joy have put 25,000 miles on the road during their trip and crossed through 38 states.
The Greatest Adventure
Even though Joy has lived a long life, this is her greatest adventure yet.
She doesn’t just get to see amazing places, she gets to spend precious time with her grandson as well.
Making The News
Brad and Joy’s story went viral on the internet and the two travelers have made the news across the country.
Brad hopes that his adventures with Joy are going to inspire young people to spend more time with their grandparents.
Happy Life
Despite being 89-years-old, Joy is living her best life.
Spending time with your family while also visiting amazing locations is the best way to enjoy retirement!
Amazing Grandson
If there is something that we all can agree on, then it has to be the fact that Brad is an amazing grandson.
He is spending all his time and money on traveling the country with his grandma by his side. We should all take an example from him.
Powerful Motivation
Brad hopes that his adventures are going to motivate other people to spend more time with their elders.
After all, no one is going to love you more than your grandparents.
The Next Trip
Even though Brad and Joy were planning another trip of a lifetime, their plans are on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Nowadays, Brad is reportedly using his time to write a book, which is helping him stay positive as he will not be visiting Alaska by his grandma's 90th birthday...or even this year.