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?

b:if cond='data:blog.pageType !="item"> >

Mother Lode Fairgrounds RV Park, Sonora, CA

Friday, April 13, 2007
We drove the RV over the same route as yesterday in the truck - Rt. 49. Ray took the twists and acute turns slow and pulled over at turn-outs to let the faster traffic pass us. Route 49 is about 44 miles and it took us almost two hours. We arrived safe and sound at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds RV Park in Sonora. There are about twenty sites and only three RV’s counting ours. Beautiful trees surround the park and are their leaves are starting to come out as Spring has sprung. On Saturday a front that started in the Pacific finally reached this area and caused overcast skies and rain off and on all day long.
Ray's Reflections: Sonora is just east of Stockton and its big claim to fame is this area is where gold was discovered in California along Rt. 49 *the Mother Load Road. This was real was a big surprise to us, with its horse ranches, rolling hills, beautiful lakes, and history. A little town just south, Jamestown, houses one of the largest displays of steam locomotives. These trains and their equipment have played an important role in many of our favorite movies and TV series. What an amazing collection of vintage trains.
I had the opportunity to ride this area several days. Every direction from Sonora was very enjoyable including the day I was looking for a winery and ended up on a single-lane road that dead-ended into a detention camp for juveniles. Never found the winery. On the day I was looking for Mark Twains’ cabin, I found an indoor casino, no one seemed to know where the cabin was located and I thought the locals knew everything.
We drove to nearby Jamestown to see the historical downtown district. At the height of the Gold Rush in 1852, Jamestown had a population of 6,000. Tuolumne County’s total population was about 17,000. Over 150 years of history have been preserved in the town’s architecture and many of the original buildings have been restored and are on the National Register of Historic Places.
This is a two-story Victorian-Eastlake style commercial brick building, and among other types of businesses it became the county’s telephone switching center from 1906-1923. A number of two-story building with porches and verandas line the west side of Main Street. In the 1950s, the Highway 108/49 bypass took Jamestown out of the mainstream of travel and helped to preserve the historic downtown.

In the winter of 1897, the Sierra Railway steam passenger train came to Woods Crossing west of Jamestown.

The park gives walking tours featuring the roundhouse, one of the last of its kind in North America. but we arrived too late, so we took a self-guided tour of this famous Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, also called the “Movie Railroad”. Most of the structures that remain were built between 1897 and 1922. The Jamestown shops remained intact servicing the growing needs of the motion picture and television industries. When the State of California purchased the 26-acre site and included it in the State Park System, it preserved one of North Americas last operating steam era railroad facilities.

Locomotive No. 3 The most famous locomotive in the world. Built in 1891 for the Prescott & Arizona Central and purchased by the Sierra in 1897. It has appeared in nearly 50 motion pictures and more than 20 television series, and is still used for movie work and special occasions. Most recent credits include Back to the Future III, Unforgiven, and Bad Girls.

Track Car No. 8 is a 1920 Model T that was converted to rail operation by Jamestown shop crews and is still operational.
Wednesday, April 18 - Drove to Columbia and walked the streets of Columbia State Historic Park. We found the walk through the old buildings fascinating and enjoyed hearing the stories passed down and shared by the shop keepers. You can pan for gold take a trail ride or climb aboard a stagecoach. When we needed to warm up, we got hot chocolate at the 1850s saloon.The temperature was 42 degrees warming up to 59. Picture of original Supply Store. The town is at 2,100 feet elevation. Columbia is known as the “Gem of the Southern Mines” – By1853 Columbia was one of the largest cities in CA, with estimated population of 25,000. As much as $150 million in gold was mined here. Gold from Columbia helped to finance the US government and the Union Army during the Civil War. Today Columbia State Park contains the largest single collection of existing gold rush-era brick structures. The buildings of wood were destroyed by fire in either 1854, 1857 that left only brick buildings with thick walls and iron shutters intact.
Mining started out primitive and improved once water was delivered to Columbia by a 60-mile complex system of wooden flumes, pipesand ditches to convey the water from the Stanislaus River to Columbia. Native people for thousands of years resided in the valleys, foothills and mountains of Central California. The Miwok lived in the Columbia area. Their way of life was drastically altered when newcomers came to the area introducing diseases and increased warfare in the region. In spite of epidemics, abuses and deaths suffered in the gold rush era, the descendants of native Miwok and Yokuts Indian people survive today.
We continued on our drive to Murphys and ate lunch at the Sun China restaurant. Good food and service. We saw a lot of wineries along our drive, but didn’t stop at any of them.
Friday, April 20 - We took a ride over to Tuolumne to visit the Cover’s Apple Ranch. They have fun for the whole family with a bakery, gift shop, petting farm, and Steam Train Ride. They also have soup, sandwiches and a daily special available at the deli. We bought an apple pie to “die” for, bit pricy at $13, but worth every morsel. The ride over the hills and through the valleys was awesome. We went to dinner at Outlaws Bar-B-Q Restaurant in downtown Sonora. Good steaks and lots of history. Bullet holes in the walls as decoration?

b:if cond='data:blog.pageType !="item"> >

Yosemite Westlake Campground & RV Park, Greeley Hill, CA

Saturday, April 7, 2007
We left Kings Canyon RV park around 8:30 am to drive our rolling home and tow to our next site at Yosemite Westlake Campground & RV Park, Greeley Hill, CA. The drive was beautiful once we reached the valley and saw mountains up ahead, but Greeley Hill was filled with tight turns and a very narrow road for the RV to navigate. Good news is we made it safely – bad news is we have to take that same road back down the mountain when we leave.
Our park is very small, but nice people. Site for 50 amp was on the highest ground and we look down on the rest of the tree-filled park. Weather has been fantastic.
Monday, April 09, 2007
We drove to see Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is known as the heart of Gold Country and the “Mother Lode”. The park has a spectacular collection of waterfalls, meadows and forests that include groves of giant sequoias. There’s still gold in the Central Sierra’s ore-laden foothills – lots of it, mining experts say – just waiting to be found.
The park is about the size of Rhode Island. Once established by an act of Congress in 1890 as a national treasure, it has become one of the best-known parks in the world. Yosemite is roughly oval in shape and includes 800 miles of hiking trails, more than 230 species of birds, 76 species of mammals and 1,400 species of plants, 37 of which are trees.
Elevations range from 2,000 to 13,000 ft. The valley is 7 miles long and 1 miles wide.

El Capitan is a dramatic rock formation. And Half Dome is smaller one in picture. We were too early in the year to see Glacier Point or take Tioga Pass as they are closed until Summer. We were also too early to enjoy the rainbow of colors that spring brings with the many wildflowers that bloom all over and attract butterflies, adding to the dramatic effect.
The route is open year-round into Yosemite Valley. We marveled at the spectacular vistas as we descended into Yosemite Valley. We stopped to have lunch, but the main dining was closed and we had to partake of a quick meal in the cafeteria with the masses.

Picture of the falls taken from the valley many miles away.

Had very interesting conversation with the owner of this large sheep farm. I have never eaten lamb and she tried to convince me I was really missing out on the best tasting meat there is. There were many babies just born.

Wednesday, April 11 Was much colder with temps at night in the low 40’s and mid-60’s during the day.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
We drove the truck over the mountains and across beautiful valleys of the High Sierras to reach Jamestown, Sonora, and Columbia towns on Route 49, referred to as the “Gold Road” or the “Mother Lode Highway.” There were very tight, blind curves with no guardrails. Can’t believe Ray rode the same road yesterday during his day on the bike. I'm not looking forward to taking the RV over this same road to get to Sonora at Mother Lode Fairgrounds RV Park where we will stay a few days to see all the wonderful historical sites taking us back to the 1800’s and the Gold Rush. We were amazed by the drive as each of the turns gave a far different view of the hills and valleys.

The Don Pedro Lake and the Recreation camping/picnicking/boat launch facilities.

They have RV sites, but it is a long distance from there up to see Sonora and the other small towns we want to visit. Ate lunch at a very quaint restaurant called Heart Rock Café on Washington Street.

b:if cond='data:blog.pageType !="item"> >

Kings Canyon RV Park - Dunlap, CA

Tuesday, April 3 We drove from Soledad RV Park, Acton 219 miles to Kings Canyon RV Park. What a disaster. The park has to be the worst park we have encountered. Sites are unlevel and full of weeds. Considering the location to Kings Canyon National park is the only plus. We never saw the manager – and she never returned our calls to confirm reservations. The hodge-podge of mobile home are in disrepair around this park. You certainly do not have a sense of security we have grown accustomed to at other parks. But we stayed because other parks were now too full to accommodate us.
Wednesday, April 5, 2007
We left around 10:30 am in dreary overcast skies, but the sun was trying to peak through the clouds at times. It wound up to be a beautiful day. We drove to see the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. First pull off you see the Sequoia National Monument at 3,000 ft. A lot of very curvy roads with switchbacks, but the scenery was amazing. Going from the dessert canyons with nothing but sand, limestone, and cactus from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California, to see these green mountains was such an amazing transition. Yellow flowers were growing everywhere and added color to the sheer cliffs. Also saw a large amount of trees that were in full pink blooms. We were not able to take the road to see Kings Canyon overlook as they are still clearing the rocks from slides during the winter months. We also missed the Mist Falls, but there is always next year.

We stopped at General Grant Grove Village at 6,600’ elevation. We saw a pristine grove of Sequoias, but the largest in the grove was the General Grant Tree, third largest of the Sequoias.

General Grant Tree is over 267 ft tall, 40 ft across its base and over 107 ft around. Estimates of its age range from 1500 to 2000 years old. Once it was thought to be 4000 years old due to its extreme width, but scientific studies have shown that its size is due to rapid growth in an ideal location. The main cause of death for Sequoias is toppling. Sequoias have a shallow root system with no tap root. Soil, moisture, root damage, and strong winds can also lead to toppling.
Kings Canyon reaches a depth outside the park of some 8,200 feet from river level up to Spanish Mountain's peak. There, just downstream from the confluence of the Middle and South Forks of the Kings River, the canyon is without peer in North America; deeper than the Snake River's Hells Canyon in Idaho, or the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Kern Canyon in southern Sequoia National Park is 6,000 feet deep, and several other canyons exceed 4,000 feet in depth. Sequoia & Kings Canyon Parks form the heart of the second-largest contiguous roadless area left in the lower 48 states. The southern Sierra is so rugged that few roads cross it; you must go north to Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park or south to Walker Pass or Tehachapi Pass.
Friday, April 06, 2007
We left home around 10am to drive Hwy. 180 to Generals Highway through Sequoia National Park. Sequoia is the second-oldest national park in the United States. Managed as one park, together Sequoia and Kings Canyon total over 863,700 acres. The day is sunny and just a few wispy clouds high above the mountains. We saw beautiful pink, blue, purple, and white wildflowers along the highway and up on the mountains. The road grades were about 5-8%.
The drive is without hesitation the most beautiful we have ever seen, even in our favorite North Carolina mountains. Every twist and turn there was another incredible vision of beauty to behold. The road winds through more conventional forests of pine, fir and cedar trees but still with some scattered sequoia clusters, and after a while the canyon comes into view – there are places to stop and appreciate the tree-covered vistas that stretch for many miles east, west, and down to the river far below, and across the valley to higher, more rocky peaks that fade into the distance. We had to stop our photo-op delays or it would be dark before we returned home. We took our lunch break at Wuksachi Village and Lodge. We felt very fortunate they were open as all other stops we had passed were still closed and will not open until May. We were about half-way on our journey out of the mountains at Three Rivers. We ordered takeout lunch to eat in the truck as we had Mitzy with us. She loves snow!

Our next stop was at The General Sherman Tree and Visitor's Center. In volume of total wood, the giant sequoia stands alone as the largest living thing on Earth. Its nearly conical trunk, like a club, not a walking stick, shows why. At least one tree species lives longer, one has a greater diameter, three grow tall, but none is larger. In all the world, sequoias grow naturally only on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada, most often between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. There are some 75 groves in all. The General Sherman tree is between 2,300 and 2,700 years old. Its largest branch is almost seven feet in diameter. Each year the General Sherman adds enough wood growth to make a 60-foot-tall tree of usual proportions. I took the walk up the ramp slowly to get pictures and Ray stayed down below with Mitzy as the park rangers do not allow pets on the walkways. It was quite a hike for me and took about 15 minutes to get to the tree, but worth it.
"Most of the Sierra trees die of disease, fungi, etc," John Muir wrote, "but nothing hurts the Big Trees. Barring accidents, it seems to be immortal." Muir was partially right. Chemicals in the wood and bark provide resistance to insects and fungi. Their wood is so impervious to decay that piles of sawdust remain in Grant Grove's Big Stump Basin where sequoias were cut for lumber over 100 years ago. This ability helps them to survive for centuries; the oldest known sequoia lived more than 3200 years. Since they continue to grow each year, they achieve impressive sizes. Sequoias sprout from seeds so small and light, they look like oat flakes. Mature trees may produce each year 2,000 chicken's egg-sized cones, collectively bearing 500,000 seeds, dispersed only as cones are opened. Cones hang on the tree green and closed for up to 20 years. Douglas squirrels or the larvae of a tiny cone-boring beetle may cause cones to open, but fire is the key agent in the dispersal of seeds. It causes the cone to dry, open, and drop its seeds. The fire also consumes logs and branches that have accumulated on the forest floor. Their ashes form fertile seedbeds and enhance sequoia seedling survival. The fire cycle ensures seed release and seedbed fertility.
The rest of the road down the mountain had double-hairpin turns, and at one spot to save a sequoia tree, they split the road and made it one-way around the tree. We were told about the road construction that stopped all traffic at the top of every hour. We missed the open gates by one minute and had to wait for 59 minutes before we could go down the one-way road past the construction area. They are shoring up the sides of the mountain with new rock formations. It was about a mile down the side of the mountain and very scary.

b:if cond='data:blog.pageType !="item"> >

National RV Headquarters - Perris, CA

Monday, March 19, 2007
We are moving today. Took I-215 and arrived at National Headquarters during 4pm traffic and was not fun. Nice facility with a medium-sized waiting room. Not looking forward to the length of time it will take to get our problems repaired. Depending on parts and availability.
Set ourselves up in the waiting room for the “day”. We have the only table in the room, so I can type and work on the Blog. At least they are pet-friendly in these facilities. Mitzy and I get tired of the long day so we break it up by going out in the truck where we eat lunch and take a short nap. That is if the jets overhead don’t fly during that time. We are located in the fly zone for the military base nearby. Friday, March 23 We were finally able to get the manufacturer's authorization to have the backup camera replaced. We decided to stay in the space provided by National over the weekend - if it's free, it's for us.

b:if cond='data:blog.pageType !="item"> >

Soledad Canyon Preserve, Action, CA

Tuesday, March 27, 2007
We left National RV Service Center parking lot around 9:30 am. The traffic and roads were terrible. The scenery changed as we drove along I-215 and Route 138, and I-14 to arrive at Soledad Canyon Road. We had a scare when we realized that the Thousand Trails Soledad Preserve (at 3,500 ft.) entrance made us take our RV under a trestle bridge with little more than a foot clearance. We called the park ranger and they had no idea how high the bridge was so Ray took off on foot with his tape measure. We need at least 13.5 feet to clear the RV and the roof-top satellite dome and other items. Ray took it slow under the bridge and I drove the truck behind the RV to be sure we were clear. The rain was really snow by this time and cold winds made the 53 degree temp seem much lower. There was a Pacific storm brewing off of LA that caught everyone by surprise. The damage by the wind gusts took out trees and there was hail in LA as well.
We got settled in our park site around 1:30 pm and had a few gusts come through that really rocked the coach. Ray went out to cover the motorcycle before it rained (snowed) again, and he was hit by a major gust of wind and snow that just about threw him off the truck. We love the park and our site location, and the San Gabriel Mountains are between us and Hollywood, Burbank, and LA. We can see a beautiful view of the mountains through our front (living room) window.

Acton was founded in 1887 by gold miners who were working in the Red Rover Mine. It was named after Acton, Massachusetts by one of the miners. Two of the best-known gold mines located in Acton were the Red Rover mine and the Governors mine. Mining of Gold, copper, and titanium ore continued into the early 1900s.
Acton was once considered for the State capital of California. California Governor Henry T. Gage (1899-1903) owned the Red Rover Mine and sought to relocate the capital to Acton. This effort ultimately failed and the capital is now in Sacramento. In the late 1880s, Acton started to become more of a ranching and farming community.
In 1889, Acton's first hotel and its first saloon, the 49er Saloon (Sutters Mill), was opened, and it is still open for business. You can tie off your horse on a side rail while you visit the saloon. The bank in the same shopping center was seen in the Clint Eastwood movie "Blood Work". We ate dinner one night at Sutter's Mill. It is themed in an "old western" style and has been seen in various movies and commercials

Friday, March 30, 2007

We attended the Manager’s Meeting for Thousand Trails members. It was very informative. Overall we heard good news about the future of Thousand Trails even though the organization has been under new ownership for a year. The new owners are pouring monies into the existing parks that are necessary improvements and members expect in a Thousand Trails Preserve. The “big rigs” such as ours are causing a problem with the 30-amp vs 50-amp service that we need to run everything efficiently. A lot of RVers are also purchasing the power boosters and that causes the parks to exceed their electrical limits with the power company and this can cause power failures. They are addressing this critical situation throughout all their parks.

Saturday, March 31, 2007
Beautiful day with clear skies and mountain ranges all around us. There is such diversity between the ranges. I enjoy sitting outside our home in my ergonomic lounge chair and a table for my drink. The wind in the morning is still, as the winds don’t start blowing until lunch time. I try to catch up with my reading. It is so still and quiet, I feel in awe. Family, faith, and work provide a “reason for being”, but now I find that exploring nature at a slower pace and seeing God’s gifts to us all up close and personal provides the peace I was always searching for.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
We took a short ride over to the horse exhibition park and took some pictures. This is certainly horse country. Since we got a late start, we didn’t stay very long. The trees throughout the area of Acton are sprouting their leaves and the different hews of color are amazing. The pollen is driving both of us nuts, mostly Cottonwoods. Went to Antelope Valley Mall in Palmdale.

b:if cond='data:blog.pageType !="item"> >

Wilderness RV Park, Menifee, CA

Sunday, March 11, 2007
We drove from Catalina Spa/RV Park to Wilderness RV Park, a Thousand Trails park in the city of Minifee, near Sun City, California. Staying nine days. Elevation is 1,483 feet. Menifee is in Riverside County, in the Riverside-San Bernardino metro area. The traffic going into Minifee from workers commuting to and from San Francisco was horrendous. We timed our travel accordingly.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Ray rode bike over to Perris to check out the arrangements at National Headquarters. We will be staying there in nine days to get a few things adjusted on our motorhome by the manufacturer - National – all under warranty.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
We are working on our future plans to make reservations at Thousand Trails parks to get the most use out of our membership. We never knew that it would be such a pain to make the travel plans moving forward. A lot has to do with where we want to be and whether we are in the system or have to select a park outside the system. Out of the system means you pay park "rent" and it may be higher than we want to pay. Maybe after the first year we will know more and have a handle of where we want to stay in the future, especially on the west coast.
A gust of wind almost took our large awning off even with extra tie-down straps. We had to work together quickly, but we got it back up before the gusts got any worse. The gusts are rocking the coach as they are coming in from the southwest.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Beautiful weather, and we had a great drive over the Trabuco Canyon (2,600 ft) and mountain range to San Juan Capistrano. The Pacific Coast Highway was very fog banked and we could hardly see the ocean as we drove. Amazing scenery through the hills and forever winding our way up and over the mountain terrain to see the beaches of Laguna. It brought back memories of the coast of Italy we saw a few years ago except the houses here are more modern and mission style. Shops and street are about 300-400 feet off the waterfront. Many homes on cliffs look like they are just hanging on. The bougainvilleas are in full bloom everywhere.

In Capistrano we ate lunch

at a local restaurant, Wahoo's Fish Taco, and walked up the nearby hill to get a view of the ocean.
On our return across the mountains, we saw the well-known Greg Fox. He was running right in front of the truck. I also spotted a beautiful blue bird flirting with the winds that blew through the Canyon.

b:if cond='data:blog.pageType !="item"> >