Man Takes 89 Year Old Grandmother To All 61 National Parks

Brad Ryan is taking his 89 year old Grandmother to all 61 US national parks. The two were estranged when Brad's parents divorced. Joy is his paternal grandmother. He stayed with this mother when his parents split.

Joy has lived her entire life in Ohio. Brad's a veterinarian at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. They had no contact for about 10 years. Brad & Joy saw one another at a family wedding. He decided he wanted to mend the relationship.

It started with baking banana bread. Joy lamented she's done very little traveling in this vast country, so Brad decided he'd take her to every national park. There are 61. They went to Smoky Mountains National Park four years ago. In 2017, they embarked on another road trip, visiting 21 parks in just one month. The pair hit several more earlier this year. Twenty more remain, then they're heading to Hawaii.

[Today]