[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.12,0:00:02.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was the last college summer.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.03,0:00:02.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.64,0:00:03.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for most,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.42,0:00:04.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but not me.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.54,0:00:08.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was taking a gap year to focus on my small business at the time.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.46,0:00:10.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Things didn’t go as planned,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.38,0:00:13.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I got a severe burn-out and eventually gave up on the whole thing.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.74,0:00:16.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I spent the rest of my gap year mostly inside my room,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.98,0:00:20.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,distracting myself with video games and feeling like a failure.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.07,0:00:24.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That was when a few friends took me out to grab a bite.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.77,0:00:26.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They said I should go somewhere.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.64,0:00:28.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I said Alaska.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.09,0:00:29.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I asked them to ride with me.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.68,0:00:31.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were hesitant, but they agreed.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.67,0:00:36.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The plan was then made, routes decided, bikes readied, and everything was taken care of.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.96,0:00:40.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The plan was to ride 04 motorcycles from Richmond,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.68,0:00:44.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then take route 76 and head to Alaska Highway.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.70,0:00:46.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But life happened.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.12,0:00:47.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As the day of the journey approached,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.81,0:00:50.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people started dropping out one by one.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.28,0:00:54.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On the day of the journey, the last and the final person backed out.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.64,0:00:56.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, had to make a choice,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.44,0:00:57.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whether to give up on the plan
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.93,0:01:02.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or attempt riding across the country on a 20-year-old motorcycle.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.92,0:01:06.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I decided, what the heck, let me have a go at it.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.17,0:01:09.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If I don’t go now, I would never get this mess out of my system.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.18,0:01:12.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I made up a mental agreement,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.54,0:01:17.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the moment when the bike gives up is when I give up and head back home.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.08,0:01:18.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I was on the road.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.31,0:01:21.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The road took me across the country:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.66,0:01:27.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Pittsburg, Sandusky, Michigan Lake, Seattle, and all the way to Vancouver.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.82,0:01:31.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I drove from dusk till dawn, and take a quick nap whenever I could
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.60,0:01:35.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the bus stops, by the rivers, and under the oak trees.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.32,0:01:39.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Recipe for a horror movie, I know, but I was too tired to worry.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.88,0:01:42.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Living in the city for all of my life,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.15,0:01:47.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I almost forgot how peaceful it was to just fall asleep under a sky full of stars.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.60,0:01:52.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Spending most of the time driving makes you appreciate small things.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.57,0:01:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A hot cup of coffee in the morning feels like a privilege.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.00,0:02:00.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A double cheeseburger at a local diner feels like a warm hug.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.21,0:02:02.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And sometimes I’d get lucky after a long drive
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.68,0:02:05.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and chance into a dingy motel by the road.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.55,0:02:09.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I’d check right in because, after a few thousand miles of driving like crazy,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.97,0:02:13.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,their rock-hard mattress would feel like a bed of sweet marshmallows.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.58,0:02:17.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By the time I reached Seattle, 04 weeks had passed.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.18,0:02:20.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It took a lot more than planned
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.20,0:02:23.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I took a lot of detours at every interesting turn I found.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.11,0:02:29.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I followed my gut and kept my fingers crossed that I’d not run into any Freddy Kruger.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.33,0:02:32.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there was no Freddy Kruger indeed.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.21,0:02:36.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead, I found a secluded lake tucked away in the forest,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.98,0:02:41.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an abandoned mall where I played one hell of a basketball match with myself,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.41,0:02:44.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a piano left in the middle of the desert.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.28,0:02:48.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There’s something so sacred about finding hidden gems on the road.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.17,0:02:51.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sacred and Surreal.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.63,0:02:55.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like they were made for me, my own little corner of the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.73,0:02:58.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I promised myself that one day I would return.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.87,0:03:01.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I promised, then I marched on.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.33,0:03:03.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the rest of the trip didn’t go as planned.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.00,0:03:07.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My bike broke down when I reached Beaver Creek.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.54,0:03:09.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"What now?" - I think to myself.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.56,0:03:11.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought back to my initial pledge:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.37,0:03:14.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“When the motorcycle gives up is when I will give up”,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.66,0:03:16.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and was going to book a flight home.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.68,0:03:19.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that felt like the easy way out,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.24,0:03:22.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I told myself to hell with it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.71,0:03:25.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I sold the bike and walked.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.36,0:03:28.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I walked until each step was heavier than the last.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.77,0:03:30.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Until my breaths thickened.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.67,0:03:33.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I walked until I couldn’t, then I hitchhiked.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.02,0:03:38.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The miles ticked away and I found myself among the salt of the earth,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.25,0:03:42.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the elderly couple who offered me cans of canned beef for the road,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.27,0:03:45.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the veteran who offered me free lodging for a couple of days
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.70,0:03:48.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just because we all loved Chuck Berry.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.42,0:03:51.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I told them about my plan, they all told me to go for it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.04,0:03:54.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On June 28, I reached Alaska.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.27,0:03:58.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I burst with joy when I saw Alaska Range.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.34,0:04:04.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The beautiful, majestic Alaska Range with its’ snow-capped peaks and shimmering glaciers.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.14,0:04:07.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I stood there, in awe.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.43,0:04:10.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At that point, I had no strength left in me,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.40,0:04:13.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I was filled with this warmth of never-ending freedom.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.04,0:04:19.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I spent the next few days at a hospital after losing over 20 pounds and dehydration.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.77,0:04:23.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then spent a week staying at home just to recover.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.31,0:04:25.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some asked me if the trip solved my problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.79,0:04:28.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It didn’t. Running away from them didn’t help.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.62,0:04:31.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My problems were still there, patiently waiting for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.24,0:04:33.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I will say this,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.71,0:04:38.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one morning you’d wake up in a strange land thousands of miles away from home,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.73,0:04:40.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you’d be a nobody.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.42,0:04:42.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No expectation, no judgment.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.62,0:04:45.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So instead of acting how people expect you to be,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.79,0:04:48.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you act how you really feel, with complete agency
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.73,0:04:52.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and without feeling guilty for not trying hard enough.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.53,0:04:56.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That was what I felt, on my first morning in Alaska.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.92,0:05:01.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The problems I ran away from no longer felt as heavy as it was.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.33,0:05:06.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They just felt less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.89,0:05:10.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And for the moment, it was enough to stay alive.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.63,0:05:12.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That’s what I’ll do.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.38,0:05:13.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To seek.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.62,0:05:14.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To strive.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.86,0:05:15.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To ride.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.92,0:05:17.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And not to yield.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.69,0:05:19.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I said it before and I said it again.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.08,0:05:21.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Life moves pretty fast.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.94,0:05:25.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.