McDonald Finishes Transcontinental Transection

The route posted on his blog that John McDonald followed from Kodiak, Alaska to Key West, Florida. He completed his bicycle trip this week.

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
On Wednesday, Kodiak High School alumnus John McDonald arrived at the southernmost point of the continental United States, a journey three months and 6,200 miles in the making. Back in May, McDonald boarded a state ferry with his trusty bicycle, nicknamed Allen, to begin an impressive cross country bike trip. KMXT last spoke with McDonald as he was making his way through Missouri, but a mere month and handful of state crossings later, he has finally finished what he calls the journey of a lifetime.
“It feels good, it feels weird to be done, because I’m so accustomed to just wake up every morning and riding my bike, but I guess that’s over now," he said. "But I’m definitely glad and sad to be done.”

McDonald’s journey with “Allen” was long, and after 25 flat tires in three months, McDonald said his two-wheeled partner deserves a break.

— (McDonald Finishes 2 : 14 “Allen is definitely going on the wall, or in the closet. It’s time for him to take a break. But I’m actually on my way right now to go look at a commuting bicycle that I might buy to be my vehicle of transportation during the school year.”)

McDonald will attend Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, but he has quite a bit of time before classes begin in November. He plans to return to Kodiak the end of September where he will start the lengthy process of editing his documentary.

— (McDonald Finishes 3 :19 “The documentary is gonna take a lot to put together. I’m going to start working on it when I get home, and I’ll work on it for about a month. And then I’ll just kind of you know touch it up and finish it during the school year. I’m not really sure when it will be done. There’s a lot of footage, so I’ve got to pick through it all, and it’s going to be a project. So I’m not sure when that’s going to be finished. ”)

The documentary will show his journey across the country and highlight some of the most memorable legs of the trip.

— (McDonald Finishes 4 : 18 “Montana definitely stands out mainly because it’s just so beautiful. Kansas definitely stood out because that’s where I met a big group of cyclists that I rode with for probably two weeks. And Kentucky stands out. Lots of dogs. Lots of angry, mean dogs. And then Florida, of course. Florida was just beautiful. ”)

McDonald said he’s eager to come home, but the trip has also made him ready for school this fall.

— (McDonald Finishes 5 : 16 “It’s really cool because as I was going through Florida, a lot of my professors actually came and rode with me for a big portion of the trip. So I’ve already got some good buddies to hang out with and to ride with while I’m here going to school. Ya, I’m so excited.”)

McDonald returns to Kodiak on September 20.

###