I am in Cali are you?
Nope. I'm on the Canaries. Sounds similar but there's a lot of Atlantic and Pacific Ocean between us :-)
You're right, Steemit has potential. I never challenged the creativity of the community. But it's not capitalized. This place won't ever grow if the wealth is distributed among a few people that are part of a closed group. For an average blogger who joins Steemit now - no matter how creative or inspiring the content - it's almost impossible to come to the top. I'm not saying that these travel reports aren't fantastic. They truly are, and I've also been inspired by a lot of them. Still they're not rewarded in the way they should be. And that's Steemit's core problem nobody is wanting to address. Those who could make a difference don't upvote new users since it's not profitable with regards to Curation Rewards.
I can tell you want Steemit to have integrity and be successful. Me too. Me too.:)
Pronouncing a wish is the very first step. :-)
I hope the people on the top realize that a lot of money can be made investing in the best Steemers. I will pray about this. Thank you for your seasoned perspective. Joy