John's America Bike Tour: February 2012

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.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Thursdays...

I personally am a big fan of Mondays. They give me a chance to start my week off right! It's the days near the end of the week that I begin to lose steam... Today wasn't as productive as it should have been. I still did all the same work and went through the motions of a good day, it just didn't feel right.

So there ya have it. I don't like Thursdays. They make me glum.

ANYWAYS. I'm researching light packable ways to consume thousands of calories in small quantities of food. If you have any suggestions I would be more than happy to listen and try them out!

Stay tuned for the direction of my bike blog!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

GoPro

Just tried out the new GoPro camera out on a run. Sadly, it was dark so the footage is very bad. I will run earlier tomorrow so you guys can start getting a feel for my town and my routine. "My Bike And Me" videos will be coming shortly as soon as I figure out a quick way to strip down my bicycle so the videos don't run for 10 minutes!

I am excited! Only 89 days left!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Busy Busy Busy

I called upwards of 30 bike shops today trying to get excitement in each town I go through. I am so excited for this tour.

Chapter 2 just came out and I only have one series right now. I'm thinking of doing a GoPro series that should be pretty funny.

Keep cycling!

Chapter 2: My Bike And Me: Episode 1

Here is Chapter 2! I can't wait to see how everything goes!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Another day. Another challenge. Another victory.

The deeper I get into this project the more I can't help but relate it to sledding.

There are always hills that need to be climbed before I can enjoy the down hill slide.

And the bigger the hill (or the challenge) the better the experience is.

Sometimes the climb to the top is miserable and erases all the hope I had to go sledding in the first place.

But I can't let hills like this affect me.

Thank you all for you support and your loyalty to my site. I think I am going to go sledding :)

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Had to wake up extra extra early this morning to remove snow from my driveway! Sometimes I feel like I'm on planet Hoth! I love Kodiak!

Good News! I got all of my tech problems sorted out! Videos should be uploaded accordingly! Stay tuned.

Monday, February 13, 2012

What lifts you up?

We just broke the 100 day barrier between me and the departure date of my tour! As of now, I am working on Chapter 2 of my preparation story! So stay tuned!

Before I head back to school I wanted to ask you, the viewers, a question. Just recently I experienced a few minor set backs with technology and equipment and it got me slightly behind schedule. Im not one to be glum so it didn't affect me like it could have.

What do you do to get out of a slump? Eat chocolate? Workout? Play Xbox? Or something different entirely different?