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Ohio native Brad Ryan shares story of visiting all of America's national parks with his grandmother

An adult male and elderly woman sit together on a blue couch at a bookstore.
Grandma Joy’s Road Trip Facebook page
Ohio native Brad Ryan chronicles his journey to all of America's national parks with his grandmother Joy in his book Grandma Joy and Me: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time. The pair visited several Columbus area bookstores including the Blue Couch Bookshop in Grandview Heights.

When Ohio native and Ohio State alum Brad Ryan’s parents got divorced, it ripped his family apart.

But he found a way to reconnect with his estranged grandmother by way of visiting all of America's national parks.

The journey made them famous. At 93 years old, Grandma Joy became the oldest person to visit all 63 national parks, even the one in American Samoa. She achieved this goal thanks to her grandson and his Ford Escape, which took them across thousands of miles and through dozens of states.

Ryan has turned their story of adventure and connection into a book: Grandma Joy and Me: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time.

He joins us on this hour of All Sides to discuss his travels with his grandmother.

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