By CARY ORDWAY CaliforniaWeekend.com The state of California may be young compared to East Coast states, but there is no shortage of places to see firsthand what early life was like in the Golden State. Long before Disneyland, Hollywood and the surf craze, California still beckoned visitors with such things as great weather, scenic beauty and — oh, we almost forgot — gold. If you're fascinated with history and like to tie that in with your getaways and vacations, here are a few suggestions for excellent places in California to see how life was like way back when: Bodie: California ghost town Bodie, California, today is one of the country's best preserved ghost towns and gives you the same sense that you have stepped back into a different time and place.