| Date & Weather | 7/10/02 (Wed) | Check Out | 11:00 AM (PST) |
| Milage & Route | 376Miles (Monterey, CA - Los Angeles, CA) | Check In | - |
| Motel | - | ||
| Review of Chapter 4 - Pacific States, the Dream and the Reality Although this chapter was only 6 days, it was appropriate for the end of my journey. I could finish to see the trails I had sometimes traced during the trip. In addition, I could see the Pacific Ocean I've never seen for the last one month. Above all, through this chapter, I've feel the dream of various people. So, the west has the dream while the east has history. It was my impression on the west, especially Pacific States;  Washington, Oregon, and California. At the same time, through driving these
states and seeing some famous sites, I could also see the reality which
were behind the dream and determined by the dream. The first destination in this chapter was the sites where Lewis and Clark finally reached the Pacific Ocean. They had been anxious to see it. So, doing so was their dream and they made it. However, I could not help thinking of their lives after the expedition. So, the success  did not necessarily bring lifetime happiness to both of them; Clark suffered unhappiness while Lewis spend comfortable lives. Next, I visited Oregon City and Sacramento for which a tremendous number of pioneers headed to seek promised free lands. However, in fact, many of them could not achieve their objective. Some people could not even see their final destination.  After that, in Sacramento and Coloma, I could deepen the knowledge of "Sutter" and "Marshall" who contributed to "Gold Rush" and the prosperity of California. However, they both could never profit from "Gold." On the contrary, "Discovery of Gold" easily ruined Sutter's business, his dream. Monterey, the last destination of my jouney, was once the capital under the rule of both 
Spain and Mexico. In addition, it was the most imporatnt site in the birth of California State; Delegates held an aggressive discussion about their constitution, their future. However, "Discovery of Gold" brought to an end as its political imporatnce and led it to one of the most famous sightseeing resorts in California. These incidents were not independent but closely linked to each other in history. That is, if  Lewis & Clark had not got to the Pacific Ocean, there would not have
been "Oregon Trail." Some pioneers headed for not Oregon City
but California. The end of "California Trail" was "Sutter's
Fort." If there had not been "SUtter's Fort," James Marshall
would have never found "Gold." Moreover, if these incidents had
never happened, not only "Golden Gate Bridge" but also "John
Steinbeck," who spent his childhood in Monterey County, might not
have existed. More importantly, mixed with "Manifest Destiny," these incidents changed the destiny of the people not only in the U.S. but also in Japan. In those days, one of the most important incidents happened in Japan; Arrival of the Black Ships of Commodore Perry from U.S., leading to "Taisei Hokan (Transfer of power back to the Emperor)." So, the  Corps of Discovery including Sacagawea and York, many pioneers, and Sutter and Marshall might take me to the U.S. Although I'm not still sure what is my dream, I'm sure I will be in Japan, a state facing the Pacific, in a year. It is the time for me to get down to the reality, probably. |
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