Duncan Falls grandma, 89, spreads joy to millions as she road trips to national parks
Joy and Brad Ryan meet at Joy’s house in Duncan Falls before embarking on their latest road trip Monday.
September 24, 2019
It’s a story that has circulated the globe, but it all started locally in Duncan Falls five years ago when Joy Ryan’s grandson invited her on a trip to the Smoky Mountains after remembering a conversation with his grandma who said she had never seen a mountain and expressed that she wished she had spent more time in the great outdoors.
Her response? “I’ll give it a whirl. I’ll try anything once, so he wanted to do that, so why not? Sure beats setting at home,” said Joy Ryan.
Joy Ryan has now not only seen a mountain, she has climbed one … and that’s not the peak of her adventures.
That trip turned into an ongoing trek for the past five years when the duo made it their goal to continue on to every national park in the country.
“I knew that if I just had the will-power, the vision and actually made the sacrifices in terms of time and everything else that goes with it, that I could make something really big happen in her life,” said Brad Ryan, Joy’s grandson. “She was 85. She had the drive, she had the adventurous spirit and she had a lot of unfulfilled dreams. So we got in the car and we have been going ever since, 25,000 miles later here we are.”
Now the two are embarking on their latest adventure — checking off the remaining 19 national parks in the contiguous states over the next six weeks.
This time, Hyatt is stepping in to make the last leg a little more comfortable.
“At Hyatt, our purpose is to care for people so they can be their best. We were moved by Brad’s commitment to help Grandma Joy have these experiences, ones she may not have otherwise. After a day of hiking, we want Brad and Grandma Joy to feel cared for at each of the Hyatt properties they are visiting so they can focus on having the best experience possible,” said Steven Dominguez, VP of Global Brands.
Previously, the 89 year-old was camping on a budget staying “in a tent … 28 days in a tent with Ramen noodles,” said Joy Ryan.
Before her inaugural trip in 2015, Joy Ryan hadn’t ventured too far from Muskingum County aside from her annual trip to Florida.
“My big vacation was going to [Lake] Okeechobee and go fishing,” said Joy Ryan. “That’s where my husband wanted to go, so that’s where we went. I figured, he worked and took care of us and he should be able to go where he wanted to go, so it was fine with me.”
As of Monday, Joy Ryan has now seen more than half of the United States.
“We’ve been to 38 states, 25,000 miles, all in my car — all in my Ford Escape, which I bought in Zanesville,” said Brad Ryan.
Those trips were full of new experiences for Joy Ryan, her favorite being just last week.
“We saw a whale when we went to California,” said Joy Ryan. “I’ll never see another one of those in my whole life. It came up right beside the boat … It was really something to see. I never will forget that.”
She has also visited the desert, climbed a mountain, seen a cactus and observed prairie dogs over the past four years.
During a trip to Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park, the Ryans became trapped inside a bison herd for four hours.
“We saw like their migration or something. There was a whole line of them going down through this field. Oh my gosh, it was … and then we got in the middle of them in a road, and we couldn’t get away,” said Joy Ryan.
While watching birds along the shores of Fishercap Lake in Glacier National Park in Montana, the pair had a close call with a moose charging in their direction.
On their quest to find grizzly bears, the Ryans came across a lone cub on the side of the road.
“We got to set there for like five minutes and watch him,” said Ryan. “Never did see the mother, but the little tiny bear, he was having a time.”
Despite those dangers, Joy Ryan kept pressing forward.
“You just don’t want to die sitting in a chair, my gosh,” said Joy Ryan. “I’d rather fall off a mountain or something.”
Joy Ryan’s adventurous nature has inspired hundreds of millions across the world after her Instagram account, “@grandmajoysroadtrip,” went viral in August when Acadia National Park shared one of their posts.
“I believe that the American public is looking for good news stories, and the morning that our post was posted by Acadia National Park and it went viral was also when America was waking up to news of the second consecutive mass shooting that happened in Dayton, Ohio,” said Brad Ryan. “Most of the initial comments that were coming in fast and furious were alluding to the fact that, oh my God, don’t we need this exact story at this exact moment. If you need to, you know, kind of cut through the darkness of this day, focus on Grandma Joy’s Road Trip.”
That overnight fame was a shock to both Ryans.
“I couldn’t believe it. I said, you have to be kidding. My good gravy,” said Joy Ryan. “I don’t have a cell phone. I got a landline. I don’t need one of them contraptions. I don’t know how to work one of ‘em. It’s hard to believe.”
Their story was picked up by all the major networks in the United States and in some international markets.
“I’m hearing from people who say ‘I’m not going to waste another day, and that I’m planning to take my mom or my grandma with me on my next vacation,’ and that’s really powerful, and I’m really proud that not only are we responsible for starting that conversation, but that we started that conversation in the face of a lot of sadness happening in our country that day. People chose joy,” said Brad Ryan.
Brad Ryan has found great satisfaction in being able to spread his message through their new-found fame.
“All over the country there are grandchildren, and children for that matter, that have moved on with their lives. They’re focused on building a life for their family, but the relationship with the grandparents is something that I find takes a backseat,” said Ryan. “My idea is to put that person in the front seat and drive around with her all over the country. And we’ve really accomplished a lot, I mean, this is a woman who barely got outside of Duncan Falls, Zanesville since her husband died, certainly 25 years ago she’s been largely confined to Ohio and southeast Ohio.”
For Joy Ryan, her message goes out to her friends and other grandparents who feel limited by their age.
“It don’t hurt to try something once. If you fail, so what? At least you tried. You don’t have to have any regrets,” said Joy Ryan. “You don’t have to wake up and wish you’d have done that, wish you’d have tried it. So, anyway. I enjoyed it, I really have. We’ve met such wonderful people.”
The goal is to visit all 61 national parks by Joy Ryan’s 90th birthday in March.
To follow Brad and Joy Ryan’s latest adventures, follow them on Instagram by searching “@grandmajoysroadtrip.”
Anyone who wants to contribute to their trip can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/GrandmaJoysRoadTrip.
Amari • Sep 25, 2019 at 7:27 am
A Go fund me link?? Really??? Still?? Below is a quote from a CBS news article about them. O M G Share the story YCity, but leave out them wanting money.
If you want to take vacations do it on your own dime. The grandson is a veterinarian and we all know what they charge. I have many friends who can’t afford to take their pets to one. So I’m pretty sure he has some extra money for trips.
There are too many PEOPLE SUFFERING and in NEED… NEED NOT WANT, of food, clothing, housing, prescriptions, medical care etc… Wake up people HUMANITY needs help with day to day LIVING. Not this frivolous bs so often found with people having their hand out.
From CBS article:
“Ryan was inspired to spend even more time with Grandma Joy, and wanted to keep taking her to National Parks. Neither could afford to do a road trip around the country, so Ryan created the “Grandma Joy’s Road Trip” GoFundMe page.
That fundraiser helped them pay for their first major road trip: 21 U.S. National Parks in 28 days. “That was the big one,” Ryan said.”
And you’re perpetuating this madness by including the link in your article. Shameful!