Eureka(!) is a triumphant exclamation used by one who has discovered something. A fitting slogan for state of California, a place so many throughout history have associated with their dreams for the future.
Southern California – Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco…close your eyes for a minute and travel there in your mind. What do you see? What images do these iconic places bring up in your mind’s eye? Endless sunshine, sand and surfers, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, Disneyland, movie stars, palm trees, and long winding drives up and down the Pacific Coastal Highway? Do you see the world renowned San Diego Zoo, the boardwalks of Santa Monica, or Joshua Tree National Park?
Most of the stereotypes and images you pictured are likely real and will dazzle you in person, but right now we want to remind you of the infamous Gold Rush and its pioneers traveling towards their dreams in covered wagons. Thanks to this rich and wild history, when in California, you are a pioneer of your own future.
California has always been the place of pioneers. Mark Twain called its inhabitants “…a splendid population – for all the slow, sleepy, sluggish-brained sloths stayed at home – you never find that sort of people among pioneers – you cannot build pioneers out of that sort of material. It was that population that gave to California a name for getting up astounding enterprises and rushing them through with a magnificent dash and daring and a recklessness of cost or consequences, which she bears unto this day – and when she projects a new surprise the grave world smiles as usual and says, “Well, that is California all over.” Mark Twain, Roughing It
One of the things that we often forget in going about the business of living our lives is that we are magnificent, changeable, resilient creatures. Sometimes, as a choice looms before us (What career should I choose? Where should I live? Where should I travel? What will happen if…?) the uncertainty of the future can be paralyzing. Think of the thousands of brave men and women who were the true pioneers that came to California during the Gold Rush. Can you imagine what it must have been like back in the late 18th and early 19th century as the promise of a better life called them all on a grueling and dangerous journey to the West coast? They did not know what the journey would hold or what would await them upon arrival. This was life or death.
The point here is that California was founded with this spirit. Pioneers are leaders, entrepreneurs, bold and courageous risk-takers who put everything on the line for a dream. That spirit still exists. If you and your group seek it out, you never know what you may discover.
We implore you – book a tour to experience this glorious place, but don’t just be a tourist. Go there with the open heart of a pioneer, a person who sees a new land with new eyes, a place full of opportunities and chances to shift your perspective, learn more about the world and about yourself.
Will you head there with us?
