The focus on the rites in Pure Land Buddhism seem to be focused on being reborn to the Pure Land in the next life. Was it believed to be possible to reach the Pure Land in this life, though, by sail or saddle, if you knew where it was and had enough time and resources to reach it? Or is the Pure Land somehow "west" but also beyond the circles of the world, much like Valinor in Lord of the Rings, with no way of reaching it through mundane means?
Good question. Short answer, no. Pure Land is a realm attainable by mental travel, not physical travel. But the concept in and of itself was inspired by the landscapes found in southeast China. And the concept is that people who devoted themselves to Pure Land practice would be reborn in a nicer place during their next spin at reincarnation, which is this area. BUT the inspirational real world location is just a waypoint to enlightenment. In other words, to say that "this particular geographical location is the place you need to go to attain enlightenment" is obviously not a valid assertion for a religion that seeks to free practitioners from suffering, because if the physical Pure Land were a waypoint, then you'd have to actually go there in order to attain Enlightenment, which is silly. So think of the Pure Land as the vehicle that gets you somewhere, not the destination itself.
This should answer your question: http://buddhism.about.com/od/purelandbuddhism/a/pureland.htm
I am not sure this is a history question.
Try /r/Buddhism instead.
Some likely did. At least in myth. I answered a similar question early and there are a few scattered references to trips in search of the Southern Pure Land.