Tumco is an abandoned gold mining town located in the Cargo Muchacho Mountains along Ogibly Rd, CA.  I spent thirteen days off-grid here exploring the many trails.  I was fortunate to stop and talk to a few people who seemed to have some luck finding a few small treasures.  Some of the folks I met had extravagant setups for mining and rockhounding (gemstones and minerals). 

Maybe I should borrow a metal detector is give it a go? "Out west is where you will find gold", they told me. 

  I had a dream last night about having a child. I had to write a few things that I would have shared and wanted this to be a starting point of discovery. I imagine raising a child that would acquire one of the most amazing qualities of being human, “curiosity”.  At some point, my child and I together would rewrite and pass these words along to their child.
 
NO REGRETS - Live life like it is the only one you are going to get and like it matters how you live it. Procrastination will only be a word defined, not part of your being.  
 
  I want you to understand that for the most part your attitude dictates your experiences in life. Constantly work on controlling your attitude because it is the shortest and most permanent route to changing the course of your life.
 
Learn to laugh at your own mistakes, mishaps, imperfections, and ego. Clear your mind of the emotions associated with the event.  Just as this advice began, end by learning.
 
Everyday, wake up with the idea that you will learn something new about the world and also about yourself. I call this “investing in self”. Try and develop a new ability or talent, and increase your plausible knowledge about all things. Don’t rely exclusively on formal modes of education. Learn on your own. Get excited about it. Read. Study. Challenge yourself. Develop. Improve. There will be no investment that pays greater dividends. Remember, opportunity is a byproduct of ability and ability is the residue of knowledge put to action.
 
 DESTINY - Chinese Proverb that I read about destiny…. Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny.
 
You would be our amazing creation from love. From the first breath you take to your last, you are limitless. You are not potential; you are what you want to be. You can therefore rise to any height you’re willing to climb. All I ask is that you start climbing.
 
Always try to be true yourself. If possible on a daily basis find a place to reflect internally about you. Cultivate wisdom; lead with compassion, humility, and patience.
 
Happiness is yours alone. I don’t know of anyway to convey something so subjective. Happiness in my humble opinion is merely a state of being. You decide if you are happy! no one else can.
 
One of the timeless struggles of man is the fight between good and evil; you have inherited both. I lack full understanding of either, so I hope that you will find your way to balance them. Each in my opinion are required and subject to perception.  Through wisdom, tolerance, and patience, you will win the fight.
 
  The easiest way to love what you do is to do what you love. The second easiest way isn’t too bad either. It’s to get really good at doing it. Competence tends to breed passion. And passion makes work something less like work and more like fulfilling a life-mission. This is not a bad way to go about making a living.
 
  Never do in private what you wouldn’t want the public to find out about. By the time you read this, technology combined with social media will be more advanced leaving you less privacy.
 
  Character is a much more accurate voice exclaiming who you are than popularity, personality, or status. So... let your moral character speak so LOUDLY that no one can hear the gossip spoken about you by lesser minds.
 
  Relationships: two halves never make a whole. They are only make two broken halves desperately clinging to each other in the vain hope that by virtue of the union, they become complete. You are complete so there is no need to look for a better half. Please trust in yourself and follow your heart. I wish I could save you from being heartbroken but that is a part of the process. Each person will play an important part of your life no matter the outcome. Stay true to yourself and they will love you for it.
 
​  Every chance you get, I hope you will sing and dance. Believe me that I will be right there with you. Life is too short to be concerned with what other people think.
 
   Let patience be your first response, kindness be your first reply, courage be your default setting, faith be your first inclination, curiosity be your first question, perseverance be your longest answer, gratitude be your spontaneous condition and love be your first, final and only method.
 
    And finally, know that my heart will always be filled with you. I will be a part of the fabric of your life because my thoughts will have been taught, my example will have been seen, and my love will have been felt your whole life. And while my words and example and love will have been flawed, they will have indicated a way of living, of thinking and believing, even if imperfectly. I hope it illuminates a path that entices you to the greatest adventure(s) you will ever have.