| Date & Weather | 6/10/02 (Mon), Partly Cloudy | Check Out | 6:00 AM (ET) |
| Milage & Route | 515 Miles (Morehead, KY - Washington D.C.) | Check In | 5:00 PM (ET) |
| Motel | Motel 6 | ||
| Review of Chapter 1 - Great Journey East Although I planed to write about the turnpike I drove today, "Country Road," one of my favorite songs whose lyric mentions the Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandooh River, and West Virginia I also drove through today, I changed my mind to review this journey until today. So, it's imporatnt to review what I've seen and learnd in order to entrench them in my memory, I believe. First, I've continuously enjoyed various scenery through driving over 14 states including  California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri,
Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia. The scenery
includes not only the views from famous sightseeing places such as Colorado
National Monument and Rocky Mountain National Park (12,005 feet high!)
but also continously changing views from a car window and sometimes at
nameless rest areas; boundless farms and ranches, sunrise in the morning
mist, setting sun to Mississipi river, etc. So, what view was the best?
"Each, in its own way,  was unforgettable. It would be difficult to-- Nebraska!" It was totally flat and had nothing but was calm and had peaceful green. It was really impressive. Here I have to also refer to Iowa. As I had expected, its beautiful cornfields are also unforgettable. However, the fact that I suffered severe hayfever is unforgettable, too. Another imporatnt task of this journey was to learn the history of America. In this point, the  last 9 days helped me a lot. Especially, I could deepen my knowledge of the West Expansion. For example, in Nebraska I visited at the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, which commemorates old trails to west. After that, in Illinois, I studied in detail about these three trails to west such as Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail. In addition, there I  also knew the Thomas Jefferson, the third president, played an important
role of west expansion by sponsoring Lewis & Clark's expedition to
west. As a result, I could make certain why Jefferson National Expansion
Memorial in St. Louis was named after his name. What really helped me to
find these interesting spots and to learn these interesting story was welcome
centers in each state. Without them and old educated women there, I couldn't
have had such productive days. So, if I name this 9 days journey from Califonia to Washington D.C., "Great Journey East" is appropriate, I think. The reason for this is that I've passed through the route many frontiers pioneered. That is, although it was shorter trip than their ways, I crossed over steep mountains, vast  stretches of rivers, and endless farmas and ranches just as they did in
1800s. Of course (fortunately!), I just drove. Tomorrow, I'll start the
second chapter of this journey to Chicago. I already have some ideas of
the name of the second journey. However, I will not name it until arriving
at Chicago. Probably, the journey itself let me hit upon a good name of
it. |
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