A gathering of Alto owners is always a great event, and this one was a dandy. Almost fifty Altos made their way to this excellent state park, their owners eager to meet, learn and just hang out.
Watkins Glen State Park is located at the south end of Lake Seneca, one of the five Finger Lakes of NY. It’s distinguishing feature is the large 400’ deep gorge that runs through the park. A nice stone walled path works its way along both sides of the gorge, allowing many vantage points to view the 19 waterfalls. You can even descend a hand cut circular stairwell and cross behind one of the falls to the other side.
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| Jackie & Dale |
The gathering was held over five days. Well organized, there were seminars to attend, campfires every night, and a catered group dinner in the pavilion. Having the dinner catered by a local restaurant was a great idea, saving everyone a lot of work of putting together a dish to share, and it supports a local business.
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| lovely dinner... |
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| and even a bagpiper |
The seminar I attended was an open discussion on converting to and managing a lithium battery system. This is a popular conversion these days, and the seminar was well attended. Lots of good information was shared and many questions answered. I think everyone went away with a better understanding of the benefits and best practices to setting up a lithium battery equipped Alto.
Our days were spent doing what we like to do best, some whom like to cycle the trails arranged impromptu bike rides together, and some of us walked the gorge, or best of all, got an ice cream cone in town.
A tradition of every gathering are the Alto open houses. A handful of owners open up their Altos to share the ideas and mods they have done to make their Alto even better. Always lots of information to be gleaned from a fellow owner, and it certainly helps the newbies that are still learning and figuring things out. As we had just completed a lithium conversion, we volunteered to share what we have learned.
Lots of folks dropped by to talk about all sorts of topics. Being a long time owner, Alto 80 is a popular spot…our open house did not wind up until around 3:00pm. Simply wonderful talking with and helping out so many fellow owners. Always a highlight.
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| Annie! |
Our friends Jackie & Ted were also at the gathering with their new to them 1713…their first Alto camping trip. Lots of fun hanging out with them, and they seemed to be really enjoying using their camper and meeting lots of fellow owners.
As the park is large, we were spread out on two road loops, and there were multiple campfires every night. We hosted one on Tuesday, and it was great to have a big turnout. I remember looking at the crowd, which had swelled out to the road, everyone one engaged in conversation and laughing…so much fun.
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| Lee making delicious popcorn |
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