Out Of The Wild: An Alaskan's Adventure To Find America

My name is John. I was born and raised in Alaska. I have been hearing how the American Dream is no longer possible for my generation; how the pursuit of a college education will leave my peers and me in crippling debt; and America is no longer the beacon of hope it once was. Too many of my generation believe what they are hearing. I am not going to surrender to such news.

I believe what made America great in the past can make it great again. I know many small business owners that are living their American Dream right now. I have heard these people talk about their dreams. They work harder than anyone I know every minute of every day. These are dreamers that act on their dreams. I want to chase my dream in the same way. My personal motto is, “Risk much, forgive much, and gain much”. I want to pursue a career in film. I want to chase my dream too.

I need to see more of this country to better understand my homeland. I want to meet the people who make this country work. Upon graduation from high school I am riding my bicycle 6,000 miles from Kodiak, Alaska to Key West, Florida to find my America. I am not going on this tour just to ride my bike. My plan is to document the people I meet that have put their dreams to work. I will interview them in their environment and interview the people they serve.

Using my bicycle, a tent, and a camera I will tell this story in a documentary I call “Finding My America”. I will begin in my hometown of Kodiak, Alaska on May 22, 2012. I am partnering with small businesses that will sponsor this trip. I am working with many Subway restaurant owners who are sponsoring me in exchange for a commercial I will make and post on the Internet.

When my trip is complete, I want to share what I learn with everyone. Look for the finished documentary in the late fall of 2012. The blog will serve as a behind the scenes update to chronicle my grand adventure. I am accepting financial support from anyone interested in inspiring my generation to embrace the hard work of bringing America back to a new era of greatness. I hope to tell the stories of the real American dream. I hope to raise enough money to pay for college without student loans. Help me tell this American story. Together we can be the difference.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Tonasket is a great town! June 15-18, 2012

This is a long blog from Tonasket. After a couple of minutes my audio and video don't match. I must be getting lonely because I'm starting to ramble!


2 comments:

Randall Newton said...

John, Love your posts about visiting Tonasket, but we aren't as small as you think. Main street is just the business district... and not even all of it. There are apx. 1000 people who live within the city limits, not 200. But Tonasket is the 'home town' for about 4000 people who live in the surrounding valley and hills. You showed the smallest of our four parks, one of which has six soccer fields and a skating/skateboarding bowl. The surrounding countryside is filled with lakes, and this time of the year everybody goes "to the lake." We hope you come back again when you can spend more time!

kodiakbiker said...

I hope I did not offend to good people of Tonasket. I truly loved that place. I live in the small town of Kodiak, Alaska. There is more to it than meets the eye when a person passes by the down town district. I should have expected the same would be true of your wonderful home. Thanks for the correction.