Saturday
An Alto tour this morning, followed by a group BBQ in the evening. For the tour we started are doing the rounds of all the Altos, with each of the owners providing a little insight to what they have done to their Alto, their favorite accessories, and any other anecdotes they wish to add.
We started in the far row, and will make our way back to our row, with Mark and I being the last on the tour.
It was very interesting to see how each of the owners have fitted out their Alto, how it is decorated, what gear they have and recommend, and all sorts of little tips and tricks. I took numerous pictures of all sorts of things. People using the exact same gear, but in a way I never thought of. Malcolm using an extra guy wire on the awning poles to really stretch and snug up the awning fabric. Malcolm also had a fabulous firepit grill, which he swears by...out came the camera. Cannot remember who it was, but they were looping the strap for the awning around the end of the bumper, to keep it taunt. Never even thought of that, even though all the pieces are there. Lots of tips, pretty much an endless stream of them. Some great discussions ensued amongst all this, worth their weight in gold.
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| Malcolm & Tanya started off the tour |
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| A steak grilled on this over a fire would be awesome. |
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| Looping the awning strap around the bumper...who knew? Well, not me for sure! |
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| Bart points out the Ninja crock pot cooker |
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| Simple little device to turn on the Alto lights..neat. |
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| Karen talking about their Alto vizor. A great quick alternative to the full awning, and very cute |
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| The memory foam topper/bedroll was found everywhere |
Paul & Christine had Alto #6, which they recently bought used. I was most interested in seeing this one, to see how the design has evolved over time. It was interesting that there were only minor differences, the overall shape and construction was darn close to now. They also had a great awning, which caught the interest of many. A lot of us were playing spot the differences, any new changes or additions that SC may have incorporated, and that may not be on our Alto. Being #80, there are a handful of these, some which SC or I have retrofitted myself.
Alissa and Richard showed off their #633, what was probably the newest one at the Rally. They have it nicely kitted out, and quite a few were eager to see the 12 volt expresso maker they are using. Richard also has a battery monitor which I plan to get a real close look at tomorrow. Finally made it to our Alto, and I went over a few of the big mods we have made. Afterwards, everyone milled around, little groups talking about the tour and the things they saw. A bit of a casual swap meet was happening, assorted odds & sods were available for buy or trade, and even free. Emily had purchased an extra Anderson Levellor, something that was well recommended, so I purchased it from her. Afterwards Mark, Steve and I sat down and had a tasty cool beverage, laughing and scratching.
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| The Anderson Leveler. It caught my eye, so we bought the extra one that Emily was offering at the swap meet. |
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| Double wheel dolly that comes with the caravan mover. This would be great for even pushing the Alto around manually. |
In the evening we had a pot luck dinner down at the pavillion by the water. Lots of great food and side dishes. Some of us brought our grills, and they were soon cooking up a wealth of tasty food. Malcolm was cooking up two pork loin roasts, soon to be sliced and paired with a nice salsa. It was perfectly cooked and very tasty. Lots of great food and conversation. After dinner, Mark L started a group conversation where we were to share with everyone our favourite camping location that was relatively close to our hometowns. It was a great idea, and a couple of their favourites, Falling Water and Ohiopyle S.P., are destinations on our vacation. That was pretty cool to hear.
Andy of Can Am RV then gave a powerpoint presentation on towing. We hung a white sheet from the edge of the pavillion, and he projected onto it. He gave a very interesting talk about tow vehicles, hitch setup and how to create a good towing match between the trailer and your tow vehicle. He also had some videos of an Alto on a slalom course, which was most fascinating. He definitely has a ton of experience, not surprising given he has been part of the industry for many years. Can-Am are well known for their expertise in towing and hitches. It was really nice of he and his wife to attend the rally and share his knowledge with us.
Great shots and renewed interest on my end due to your rally pics :).
ReplyDeleteWhich spark the following questions: Is the elliptical shaped awning on the #6 a modification by the current owners or how it came from the factory? How is it stored? Does it give off ample shade?
Oh and this question may set you to head scratching but what are the uses of the mod in the last picture (double tires attached to a post)?
TIA and as always thanks for taking the time to include others on your explorations and discoveries.
The vizor is on another Alto, and is different from what I refer to on #6. The vizor is produced by a company called PahaQue. The double tire dolly wheel comes with the caravan mover option, but I'm sure it would work well on uneven ground, without the mover.
ReplyDeleteAhhhhhh PahaQue! They make the screen room I currently use whilst car tent camping and I cannot sing the company's workmanship and customer service enough. Nice to see they make 2 different products for the Alto and I'll have to decide between the "cool" factor vs utilitarian use. Looks like the double wheeled dolly is a take along variation on your mod.
ReplyDeleteHi ygrace,
ReplyDeleteIf you are on Facebook, you should check out the "Altoistes" group. There is a wealth of information there!
Jim