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MU Alumnus goes "Cross Country"

Josh Wooten ’06 was a distinguished, record-setting All-PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) member of the Mansfield University cross-country team while a student at MU. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed running on a variety of trails and terrains, so after graduating from MU, Josh decided to take his cross-country runner title and his love for the outdoors to an extreme level; he would become a “cross-country driver”. Josh and his wife, Kim, decided they would travel across the country in a vintage 14-foot long olive-green Volkswagen bus in an attempt to visit a state park in each of the United States of America. After overcoming a few setbacks, Josh, Kim, their cat (Fink) and dog (Westy) packed their belongings, climbed into their new home and began their adventure “cross country.” The MU Alumni Relations office recently caught up with the Wooten’s to learn about their experiences and their journey across the states thus far.

Q. How did you come up with the idea to travel across the country?
A. My wife and I have always loved visiting state parks – we were even married in one! We were ready to do something drastic in our lives, and a mega road trip to see as many state parks throughout the United States is what we decided on.
Q. How long did it take you to prepare and plan for your trip “cross country”?
A. The planning process began during the summer of 2006, and our goal was to leave in 2007, however we experienced a few challenges that delayed our departure. Late in 2007, I received a frantic call from Kim who told me our bus had just caught on fire; she had literally jumped out of the burning vehicle and watched as approximately $10,000 worth of our belongings burned. Luckily she was not injured, but because of the fire we had to start from scratch. In November of 2008, we found our new bus and were ready to depart, but were delayed again because our dog had to have emergency surgery (she’s fine now). We finally left for our journey in late January of 2009.
Q. Where have you been since January?
A. When we left, it was winter and we knew we had to get to warm weather fast because our bus does not have heat. We made several brief but interesting stops in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Since then, we have been to North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Q. What has been the most exciting destination or experience in your journey at this point?
A. Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina, almost all of New Mexico, Clark Creek State Park in Mississippi and Congaree National Park in South Carolina were absolutely incredible. Getting free passes into Disney World for a day was quite an experience, too. One of our most interesting moments was breaking down in South Carolina – we thought we were going to need our vehicle towed very late on a Friday night and our journey was over. A Volkswagen enthusiast just happened to see us stranded, fixed our bus and then invited us to hang out with him and his Volkswagen bus club. Another interesting experience occurred when we met up with a mutual friend from high school who is currently a tour manager for a band. We popped in to one of their shows unexpectedly, and ended up hanging out with the band and getting into some of their concerts in Texas for free.
Q. In addition to breaking down, have you had any other challenges on this adventure so far?
A. In general, driving a small, older vehicle has been quite the challenge. Hiking with pets is difficult at times, but at the end of the day it is an amazing and rewarding experience that’s totally worth it.
Q. What advice can you provide for someone who may be considering a trip like yours?
A. Planning and deadlines on a trip like this simply add too much stress; let your trip be an adventure and take you where it wants to go. Although we wish everyone could take a trip like ours, we especially encourage recent graduates to before beginning their career.

While travelling, the Wooten’s maintain and frequently update their website, which features a blog, photo’s, an interactive map that features the states they have been to and much more. You can view their website by clicking on the following link: www.greenbusadventures.com. Visit their site today and ask them a question, say hello, view all of their scenic pictures or wish them luck for the rest of their incredible journey.
Safe travels Wooten’s!