Turtle Beach Preserve (Thousand Trails Park) Manteca, CA

Sunday, April 22, 2007 - Left Sonora Mother Lode Fairgrounds and traveled 65 miles with rain most of the way to Turtle Beach Preserve (TT Park) in Manteca, CA. Love the park and the layout. We are very near where (my friend known since highschool) Penny lives in Stockton so we will try to hook-up with them. Monday, April 23 - Went to the Escapees Rally and took in two seminars. We felt we didn’t need to attend other seminars as we have a lot to do. At least we know what to expect whenever we have time to spend at other Rallies.
Tuesday, April 24 – RV lost power to our refrigerator and we switched it to LP gas. The air conditioning system is not working, nor the central vacuum, nor the washer/dryer. Ray called National, then the service department for RV repairs. We scheduled the service for Monday, May 7. We are moving from Turtle Beach on Sunday, May 6. Thursday the winds were up to 20 mph gusts. Friday, April 27 - Woke up to a beautiful day and checked on the birds out in a tree outside our home. They look like small blackbirds and their nest is in a very large gaping hole at the joint of the tree. California Blue birds are all over and one keeps continuously pecking at the car and RV next to us as well as our own. Drives Mitzy nuts and she is barking thinking it is an intruder.
Stockton is situated at the head of a navigable channel, several miles east of the San Joaquin River and approximately 90 miles inland from San Francisco Bay. The city’s strategic location along several waterways is what defined Stockton and its surrounding communities.
The discovery of gold turned Stockton Channel a river boat landing that served the mining areas of the foothills. It became the gateway, supply and transportation center to California’s southern mines. Although the gold rush ended by 1855, Stockton businesses prospered from their ability to process and transport agricultural products to the markets of the world. The combination of rich peat soil and a temperate climate made the area around Stockton one of the richest agricultural regions and dairy regions in California.
The Port of Stockton opened in 1933 as the first inland seaport in California. The legendary Delta, created by the confluence of several rivers and many man-made channels-popularly known as 1,000 miles of waterways-is what in many ways defines Stockton and surrounding communities. Stockton and environs have long been known in the entertainment industry as location-rich, both as fore and background such as COOL HAND LUKE, BLOOD ALLEY, ALL THE KINGS MEN, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN and many others
Monday, April 30 - The weather is in the 80’s during the day and we are semi-comfortable with fans running since the air conditioner does not work. Expect the rest of the week to be cooler. We purchased the tile needed to remove the carpet in our living area and replace with tile. Picture of the living room shows our new tile installation. We really enjoy the new look.

Saturday, May 05 - The wind is constant 24 mph with gusts over 30 mph. High will be around 77.

Ray's Reflections: The motocross track I accidentally came across in the hills while riding west of Manteca (south of Stockton) was a real treat to watch. This area was a long route for several 100 yards specifically designed for dirt bikes and ATVs. The expression on the guard’s face at the gate was priceless when I rode up on my Gold Wing. After a brief conversation, I realized he thought I was going to ride the track, I assured him I just wanted to watch and take pictures. At that point I could feel a sense of relief from him. There were all ages and all sizes of direct bikers practicing to be the great one. This turned out to be a nice ride for me, and also passed 12 antique, model-T cars coming my way enjoying the drive, they all waved. Again the huge wind mills (electric power) covered the hills and valley. Very few small trees in this area and brown grass and shrubs.

Since we were so close to Stockton, we went to visit with Penny and Larry Shoppel. We enjoyed the visit and dinner was at Mallard’s Restaurant. Five star quality/service is expected. The food was excellent and I enjoyed the macadamia-nut-crusted Mahi Mahi over a bed of rice and veggies.
Monday, May 7 - Got to the service center in Manteca at 8AM. After they worked two hours, the tech explained to Ray that the park was probably the reason we were without electric for our four major appliances. Not enough amperage to our coach. He also found our generator breaker switch had been triggered. A good lesson learned. The good news is that everything is working and we didn’t have to pay for service. While waiting on service, I took Mitzy for a walk outside the service center’s waiting room. I took a step off the sidewalk unexpectedly, my right knee buckled and I twisted it badly, fell onto the ground and skinned the knee and left hand on asphalt. The knee has swollen up as expected. I’m going to try to see a doctor tomorrow. How clumsy can I be?

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