Danielle chats with Grandma Joy and her grandson Brad Ryan of Grandma Joy's Road Trip. They started their national park adventure together when she was 85. They have visited 53 national parks - and counting! They share their favorite scenic drives in national parks and their top ten list of national parks for accessibility.

Discussion includes the following:

0:02 - Introducing Grandma Joy Ryan and Brad Ryan: CBS This Morning Interview

1:55 - Reunited: From losing touch to regaining Joy Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Old Faithful, Redwood National and State Parks

5:08 - The adventure begins

6:47 - The life-changing magic of slowing down

10:15 - Age, accessibility, and Grandma Joy’s “best of…” list: Mammoth Cave National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park

13:10 - Shenandoah National Park

15:09 - Driver’s delight: Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona’s Painted Desert, Historic Route 66

17:54 -  Diversity in the desert: Saguaro National Park, Joshua Tree National Park

19:52 - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, The General Sherman Tree

21:15 - Saguaro National Park and environs: Desert Discovery Trail, El Paso, TX lodging/Hyatt Hotels, White Sands National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park

22:44 - Tales from the passenger’s seat: Badlands National Park, Yellowstone National Park

26:14 - Big Bend National Park

28:30 - Grand Teton National Park

29:47 - Arches National Park, Zion National Park

31:12 - Sunrise over Grand Canyon National Park

33:01 - Glacier National Park, park shuttle service, Going-To-The-Sun Road

33:40 - Fishercap Lake, a moose encounter, and a wildlife reminder

35:42 - A veterinarian’s viewpoint

38:02 - Bear aware, Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Cades Cove Scenic Road

40:35 - Gatlinburg, TN, Clingmans Dome

41:45 - The glittering aspens of Rocky Mountain National Park

43:00 - Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

43:41 - Assessing accessibility challenges: Channel Islands National Park

46:40 - Practical logistics

48:06 - Trip tips and ranger recommendations

50:09 - A Wind Cave National Park coyote story

51:42 - Bad weather/good mood: Why attitude is everything when travelling

52:15 - Isle Royal National Park misadventure

55:44 - Adventures counted in moments, not N.P.s: Craters Of The Moon National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument

56:56 - Transformative travel rewards

59:02 - What’s next for Brad and Grandma Joy: Brad’s book, National Park of American Samoa, Alaska’s multiple parks and places

1:01:11 - The power of Grandma Joy’s example

For complete show notes and archive, visit everybodysnationalparks.com.

We have covered parks including: Biscayne, Crater Lake, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Olympic, Rock Creek, Saguaro, Shenandoah, Virgin Islands, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion.

We also have special conversations with a diverse group of national park champions.

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• (Ep. 13) Acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns took time out of his busy schedule to discuss the creation and legacy of the National Park Service and celebrate the tenth anniversary of his series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.
  
• (Ep. 14) Author Becky Lomax chatted with Danielle and Bryan about her guidebook and offered travel tips to lesser-known parks.
  
• (Ep. 19.5) Ranger Shelton Johnson introduced listeners to the Buffalo Soldiers of Yosemite National Park
  

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