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Someone once said, "Our life is the same as a marathon
race." But I say, "Our life is a trip." Once we start going
on a trip, nobody knows how its course might change later.
That is, even if we make a plan in detail, our schedule may
change during the trip, just like our life. So I like travel.
And I think the changing schedule makes our trip more
interesting.
During the last summer break, I went on a trip around the
west side of America from Seattle to Tijuana, Mexico. It took
almost two weeks. On Sep. 8, I left Seattle by my car, which
contained a sleeping bag, a tent, some food, firewood, and of
course myself.
I was heading to the Oregon Coast. While I drove along the
coast, beside me, there were always bright sunshine, blue
sky, waves moving up and down, small birds flying above the
ocean, and on my cassette player some music such as "What a
Wonderful World." I enjoyed the time as if I had become Tim
Robbins at the end of the movies, The Shawshank
Redemption. When the sun was setting, I could not take
my eyes off it since it was really beautiful. Watching the
sunset at a viewpoint, I lost track of time and so I could
not continue on to my first destination. Just after sunset,
it rapidly got dark. So I decided to spend the night at a
campground in a small town, a KOA campground in Langlois,
Oregon. There I sat in front of a campfire, drinking "Alaskan
Amber." I spent the first night next to my lovely "horse" -
my Mitsubishi Mirage.
The next night, crossing the Golden Gate, I reached San
Francisco, where a cousin of mine lived as well as a friend
of my brother. As my guide, my cousin led me to some famous
places in the city. Among them I remember a restaurant, the
Cliff House, which is on a steep cliff and from which I could
view the wide ocean and a long beach, drinking a cup of
coffee peacefully. Leaving behind San Francisco, where I
spent two days, I took Route 1 to L.A.
Though I intended to drive all the way to L.A., I
changed my plan that day, because I got information that
there was a wonderful house on the way called the Hearst
Castle. I decided to go to the castle the next day, and I
slept near a beach listening to the sound of waves. It was
not at a hotel or even a campground. I spent the night in my
tent at a viewpoint, where there were some strangers.
However, I was not nervous at all.
After sleeping at the viewpoint, I went to the
castle early in the morning. First it was so cloudy that I
could not see the blue sky or even the castle, which is
located on the top of a mountain near the Pacific Ocean. When
I arrived at the castle, however, I was surprised, since it
was so grand and elegant; in fact, it looked like a European
castle. There it was very clean, because the castle was above
the clouds. The castle has two swimming pools - one is inside
and another is outside, a lot of rooms for guests, a big
dining room, and a wide living room, which has a classical
fireplace about four meters high, from France. It was a
miracle. According to the guide's explanation, Mr. Hearst,
who was the owner of the castle, used to invite many famous
people and to hold lots of parties. And sometimes he went to
the beach for fun with them. When the clouds finally went
away, I was surprised once more. The view from the castle was
like a picture. Now I strongly recommend this place to people
who plan to go on a trip between San Francisco and L.A. if
they like seeing something beautiful. Still I cannot forget
the classical castle and that special night.
After the castle trip I got to L.A. and looked
around the downtown, the Universal Studios, the Norton Simon
Museum, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and so on. After that I
went to San Diego, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and Tijuana,
Mexico. Especially the sunset and the sunrise at the Grand
Canyon were really grand and gave me a deep impression. And I
got to L.A. again. On the last day in L.A., once more I
changed my schedule to go back to San Francisco that day
because of two kind Koreans I met. So I went to the Dodgers
stadium to watch a baseball game and spent the night in the
Koreans house talking to them. Then I could know about how
Koreans live in L.A. Experiences like this one can make a
trip more exciting and interesting.
Lastly, I visited Sacramento, Eugene, and
Portland, and finally I arrived back in Seattle. Now a
proverb comes to my mind, "You can see as much as you know,
and you can feel as much as you see." Travel gives us not
only fun but also instruction. Students! Do not stay in
Ellensburg, just killing time. Go, see, feel, and enjoy your
life.
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