There are places you’d miss at Stockton State Park, places I’d never think to go see. One of the coolest things about this job is the ability to have the park superintendents drive you around for a full backstage tour. So if you’re ever at the park and want to get off the water for a while, here are a couple of things to check out:

The North Shelter is a gem in itself — designed after old CCC plans, it’s won an award for something (I’ll look into that). I can attest to its watertightness, as I spent an evening transferring files there as a huge thunderstorm pounded around me. So, that’s cool, but if you head toward the picnic tables, keep walking. Behind each table is a short path to a blufftop, where you can get a fantastic view of Stockton Lake. Perfect for sunrises, sunsets and stargazing, as long as the sky stays clear.

And there are some more industrial curiosities. Asphalt by the marina looks like it terminates at the lot (because of an upward slope), but keep driving. This leads to more parking that exposes some docks and serves as a flood lot for whenever the lake level is high. But that’s not the cool part.

Did you ever think about where boat trailers go to die? I didn’t until I caught sight of an eerie clearing behind this second lot. It houses all the trailers that carried rental craft as well as some old boats and sailboats. Raised and naked, they look so out of place among the uncut grass and rabbit colonies. Keep this in mind if you want to shoot a suspense film; it’s definitely worth a scene.

More thoughts to come…for some reason I can’t preview posts, so I just have to publish them. Also, I should be writing an article right now.