When most people are first introduced to Brian Bollinger, it’s typically through the finance department with his job as a student financial coordinator at WVU Potomac State College. He may have even made a first or lasting impression during his presentations at any one of the six New Student Orientations.
Bollinger is affectionately referred to as the “money guy” around campus. But who among his colleagues would have bet good money that in the summer of 2026 he would complete a journey of nearly 11,000 miles traveling across the country? And do it all in a little over a week?
Bollinger completed the “Cannonball Run” trek from the Red Ball Garage in Manhattan, New York, to Los Angeles, California, while traveling through historic Route 66 and visiting landmarks across the nation. Traveling alone in a 2025 Toyota Corolla, he crisscrossed terrain of 10,800 miles and did it all in nine days.
“It was a demanding journey that required careful planning, perseverance, and the determination to continue through every challenge,” he said.
For Bollinger, the trip was the culmination of a personal goal he had had for a long time to reach all four regional extreme points of the contiguous United States.
“The idea had been in the back of my mind for a long time, but the real inspiration came from something much deeper than wanting to take a road trip,” he said. “Over the past year, I had traveled throughout West Virginia and talked with students and families who were struggling financially and sometimes questioning whether college—or some of their other dreams—were even possible. I heard some heartbreaking stories, but I also saw incredible determination.
Those conversations stayed with me. I spend my professional life telling students not to allow one difficult moment to define the rest of their story. Eventually I realized I needed to challenge myself with that same message.”
And so, Bollinger coordinated and planned a solo road trip, first traveling from Florida to Maine, reaching the easternmost point of the contiguous United States, then driving to New York and beginning the traditional coast-to-coast “Cannonball Run” route, following historic Route 66, and finishing in Los Angeles. From there, he headed north to reach the westernmost point in Washington.
“Doing it alone was part of the challenge. There are moments in life when you find out what you're capable of when there’s nobody sitting in the passenger seat telling you to keep going,” he said. “In my family there was probably a combination of ‘That sounds exactly like something Brian would try’ to ‘are you completely out of your mind?’ My family knows how much I love traveling and setting unusual goals, but even for me this was ambitious.”
But, Bollinger said, his family also knew his mind was made up.
“Ultimately, my family knew there was more behind this trip than accumulating miles. I wanted my own children to see that some of the hardest chapters of your life don’t have to become the chapters you’re remembered for,” he said. “You can turn the page and keep writing your story. That became one of the most personal lessons of the entire journey.”
Bollinger said his biggest surprise on the trip was simply how vast and geographically diverse the country itself is.
“You can leave one environment and several hours later feel like you’re in a completely different country. The landscape, architecture, food, history and even the personality of communities change,” he said. “Historic Route 66 particularly surprised me. I expected nostalgia, but I wasn’t prepared for how much history remains along the old highway. There are abandoned businesses and tiny communities where you can almost imagine what life was like when Route 66 was America’s Main Street.”
He said one of his favorite places was in the Golden State.
“One of my favorite discoveries was Roy’s in Amboy, California. It felt like time had simply stopped,” he said. “And there were humorous differences, too. Gas stations, rest areas, and even Walmarts can be completely different depending on where you are in America. Lubec, Maine, and West Quoddy Head would be very near the top of my other favorites. Standing at the easternmost point and looking out across the water was breathtaking. There was something incredibly peaceful about it. And spending the night aboard the Queen Mary in California was certainly one of the most memorable experiences”
Bollinger said there were also stretches of his trip when fatigue, weather or traffic made the journey much less glamorous than the photographs he was posting on his social media might suggest.
“But those difficult sections became some of the most important parts of the trip because an adventure where everything goes perfectly doesn't teach you nearly as much,” he said. “This trip reinforced something I already believed: there are good people everywhere. One of the things that struck me as I traveled from state to state was how similar people really are despite all our regional differences. People are working hard, trying to make ends meet, taking care of their families and hoping tomorrow will be a little better than today.”
When he told people he was from West Virginia, the reception everywhere he went was welcoming and warm, he said.
“I loved people’s reactions when they discovered I was from West Virginia. Country Roads inevitably came up. WVU athletics came up. Yes, even burning couches occasionally came up,” he said. “But people who had actually visited West Virginia almost universally talked about our mountains and natural beauty.”
Where was the best food?
“This one actually has an easy answer: the key lime pie at Moondog Cafe in Key West, Florida. Moondog Cafe is near the Ernest Hemingway Home, and I stopped there while I was in Key West. I can say without exaggeration that their key lime pie was honestly the best pie I have ever eaten. Out of 10,800 miles and all the places I visited across the country, that slice of pie still stands out.”
Here at the College, Bollinger assists students and families with financial issues, finding ways for students to attend college when the road ahead seems insurmountable. He said he thought of those students on his road trip, using the journey as a metaphor and lesson for life.
“This personal accomplishment holds special meaning for me—not only as a lifelong West Virginian, but also as a proud WVU employee who works through the Financial Aid Hub to serve students and families at both WVU Tech and WVU Potomac State College,” he said. “In my role as a Student Financial Coordinator, I have the privilege of helping Golden Bears and Catamounts overcome financial obstacles, understand their educational opportunities, and continue progressing toward their degrees. Serving both campuses has given me a genuine love and appreciation for these two remarkable communities and the students who call them home.”
During his drive, Bollinger said he focused on the West Virginia state motto, “Montani Semper Liberi,” or “Mountaineers Are Always Free.”
“To me, that freedom has never been about standing still,” he said. “It’s about having the courage to chase dreams, explore the unknown, and push beyond the limits others place on us.”
Bollinger said he gets his desire for travel from his great-grandmother Leafie Stoops of Gallipolis, whose goal was to travel to all 50 states. She died two states short, Alaska and Hawaii, he said.
“I was very close to her growing up,” he said.
Bollinger also was inspired by the 1981 and 1983 Cannonball Run comedy movie series starring Burt Reynolds. In the film, the Cannonball Run is – much like in real life – an illegal non-sanctioned race with participants – played by everyone from Sammy Davis Jr to Dean Martin to Loni Anderson – driving as fast as they can from New York to California.
As a child, he often watched the movie with his father. It remains among his favorites.
“I was really inspired by that movie,” Bollinger said.
For the record, the actual Cannonball Run route predates the movie by ten years. Founded in 1971 by two car magazine reporters, the “race” itself is a “speed record” contest for driving across the United States, typically accepted to run from New York City’s Red Ball Garage to the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach, California, near Los Angeles, covering about 2,813 miles. As of August 2025, the overall record is 25 hours 39 minutes, with an average speed of 112 miles per hour.
Bollinger was not out to break any speed records or break any traffic laws. He simply wanted to travel the same route and see how long it would take him to complete it at a “natural pace.”
During his road trip and journey from east to west, he also thought of his two children, Benjamin and Elizabeth, and the example this trip was setting for them. His wife, Marlana, was also on his mind as he completed his cross-country trek.
“My wife is a doctor, and she delivered seven babies while I was gone,” he said. “She was stressed in another way.”
Bollinger took another “route” back home because, he said, there were things heading back east that he wanted to see and visit as well.
“I went up to Glacier Park in Montana and then came back headed towards North Dakota, but I received an alert while I was taking a nap that the route in North Dakota was closed due to rain. I cut down through Wyoming and saw a scene from a horror movie where I counted 57 deer on both sides of the road at night,” he said. “I then proceeded to go through South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, down through Chicago and then over to the Ohio Turnpike.”
Bollinger said he hopes sharing his accomplishment encourages others to pursue their own ambitious goals.
“Although this is an accomplishment I will always cherish, my greatest hope is that the journey can serve a larger purpose: inspiring the students I am privileged to serve,” he said. “Every day in the Financial Aid Hub, I meet students who are working through financial concerns, personal challenges, and moments of uncertainty. I want them to understand that difficult circumstances do not determine the limits of their futures."
He said that, "My journey reinforced a message that applies far beyond the miles traveled: ambitious goals are achieved one decision, one challenge, and one mile at a time. With courage, persistence and the support of a strong campus community, our students can accomplish dreams that may initially seem beyond their reach.”
With this “bucket list” behind him now, he has had time to stop and reflect on its impact and importance in his life.
“We are incredibly good at convincing ourselves why something can’t happen. ‘I don't have enough time’ or ‘I’m too old,’ ‘I'll do it someday.’ And eventually, someday becomes never. A 10,800-mile journey doesn’t happen because you wake up one morning and magically accomplish 10,800 miles. You accomplish the first mile. Then the next destination. Then the next state. Eventually those small goals become something enormous. That’s true of traveling, earning a college degree, getting out of debt, rebuilding after disappointment—or almost anything meaningful in life. Don’t allow the size of the final destination to prevent you from taking the first step.”