Olema (6) – Altogather 2025

Altogathers are maybe my favorite thing of all things. At least they are up at the top in the leaderboard of fun. I think the one thing I am looking forward to the most about the idea of some day retirement is the idea of being able to join more of these all over the US and Canada. Just the fact that you see a whole bunch of Altos as you pull into the campground is exciting. But the connections you make with people you may or may not have ever met is the part I like the most.

Once again, we got to be neighbors with Leo and Brenda. Leo takes care of all of the reservation details as the “Wagonmaster” with the campground. He handles keeping track of who is coming and who has paid. His is the crucial job. That, and bringing a Solo Stove for group campfires.

My job is to create the activity schedule, hoping to achieve a good balance between organized group gatherings, and ample free time to explore the Pt. Reyes area. It helps that a very talented Altoiste put together an impressive booklet of Area Attractions back in 2022. I used that again as a guide for people visiting from near and far. Richard and I spent our first chunk of free time bicycling to Heart’s Desire Beach on Tomales Bay. It’s a lovely ride with not too much traffic along Sir Francis Drake.

On our way back, we stopped in Pt. Reyes Station to pick up some fresh bread for our first group dinner. This cute town has everything you might need for groceries, baked goods, (of course) ice cream, or little crafty stores for gifts. It’s on the higher end in terms of priciness, but it was worth it.

If you want a really outstanding pot luck experience, invite some Altoistes. For every shared meal, there was a dizzying array of all kinds of delicious foods. I can’t name a favorite, but there were pasta salads, finger foods, dips and salsas, nacho makings, even deviled eggs! Our contribution was an artichoke dip that I baked over indirect heat on the WeberQ, and paired with freshly bought baguettes. Fabulous time!

The next morning I was busy prepping our contribution for that night’s pot luck: slow cooker chili. Everything worked perfectly for this dish, except that it made so much, the slow cooker started to overflow. The solution for that was fairly easy: have some chili for lunch. Meanwhile, I prepped little biscuit balls with chocolate and marshmallows inside. These got rolled in melted butter and coated in crushed Graham Crackers. That part was prepped at home. The finished balls all went into a plastic bag and into the fridge until it was time to bake. It’s a time consuming undertaking, but again, worth the effort.

We had just enough free time left in the day to drive out to the lighthouse. On our way, I spotted the Instagram famous tunnel of Cypress trees that leads to an old radio station. We stopped and walked out to the building, which has been preserved and serves as a museum with volunteers who will tell you anything you want to know about old time radio. The equipment has been painstakingly cared for, with a whole room full of dot matrix printers that were used to capture any and all intercepted communications. Mostly, the chatter was mundane in nature, like transmissions regarding cargo ship locations. Sometimes though, there were emergencies out off the coast, and this radio station was responsible for relaying the information to the coast guard. Fascinating stuff.

We then drove out to Pt. Reyes and walked all the way down to the lighthouse. There are signs warning you to be good and sure you are in shape to make it back up. Once at the bottom, you get to see a one-of-its-kind fresnel lens light beacon. These kinds of artifacts can’t be repaired anymore, as there are so few remaining, and even fewer people who have the expertise to handle them. For modern lighthouse functionality, there is an electronic system. Back in the day though, there was a steam powered generator that blew the fog horns and kept the beacon lit. Fun fact: the reason this light house is down so many steps is because this is the foggiest spot on any coastline besides a couple of places in Oregon, Washington, Maine, and New Foundland. Putting it 313 steps down, meant it could (sometimes) be under the fog layer.

We made it back in time for the big pot luck feast. Again, everything was delicious and very impressive. Steve, who traveled all the way from New York, cooked up a really incredible gumbo. He says it’s all in the roux, which is an impressive statement for someone who has been on the road for a month.

After dinner, we all took part in a mystery gift exchange. Having played these a lot at school staff parties, I can tell you, Altoistes are much nicer than teachers. There was minimal stealing involved and no organized crime rings (“you steal that for me, and I’ll steal this for you”). Teachers, it seems, are brutal, man. As it happened, I was the one picking name tags out of a container for who went next. As the names kept coming out, I got increasingly nervous and self conscious that I hadn’t yet picked myself. If I could have cheated my name to come out at the beginning, I seriously would have. But no, whose name came out absolutely last, thereby having the best chance at getting the best gift? Mine. Yep. Did I squander my suspicious luck? Did I use my good fortune for the good of others, by stealing something so someone else could steal back the thing they really wanted? Nope. As soon as the Altoiste made stained glass R-series came out, any chance at being a good samaritan was erased. Yeah, get out of my way, that’s mine.

Campfires took place every night between Leo’s and our campsites. People brought their own camping chairs as ever widening circles formed around the flames. Stories were shared to the sound of laughter and crackling wood. Richard became enamored of the Solo Stove, which is a boon for me. I’ve wanted one for some time, but seeing as how we never light fires when we camp, it’s been hard to justify. However, with our backyard now in shape to welcome guests, and with the very real possibility that Dory1 will actually make it back there in the near future, we went ahead and got one. They are handy little fire pits because they channel air up through the side and bottom vents, which burns the wood faster and hotter. That eliminates almost all of the smoke. It also means once you get down to the embers, you can put the lid on to safely snuff it out. We could theoretically take it camping with us, but actually the thing I’m looking forward to is using it in our Dory campground at home.

Our last organized gathering was a breakfast of champions. Again, I was impressed by the array of goodies, as well as the clever way so many Altoistes cook on the road. I’m remembering the strawberry rhubarb cake right now and making a note to get the recipe. We took one last group photo and said farewell to a couple of people who headed out that day. Happily, many stayed for one last night.

It was a great call to stay Sunday night. That gave us the rest of the day to have fun with no deadline for return. We found a road whose name Richard does not want me to share. He feels this is a gem of a find and he doesn’t want to ruin it by me sharing it with all of my dozen followers. Fine. There’s a little road off Sir Francis Drake that goes up, up, up about five miles until it dead ends at a communication tower. You get some really nice views from up there. We had to imagine most of the views because there was a thick layer of fog all along the coast. It was a great ride though, and Richard saw a mountain lion as he was descending!

We shared one last campfire with drinks, laughs, and many hidden talents (like doing accents!) that only come out in these kinds of circumstances. Hoowee that was fun! We came home exhausted and happy. We needed another day to recover, but hadn’t planned for that. Leo and I are thinking we could make this an every two year standing event. Every year is a lot, but every two is doable. I wouldn’t choose any other place for a nearby campground. It’s got plenty of amenities and does a really good job with big groups. They host T@b rallies and Airstream rallies too.

I came away with great memories, and a couple of new things I need to purchase (like the rechargeable Ninja blender! Why has no one told me about this before?!). I wish I came away with a better memory of people’s names. I need to study ahead of time next time. I now have most of them down I think, but that is after the fact. I guess that is why name tags are important. I might remember that you raise llamas and had a crazy time camping during a rainstorm on the lost coast, but ask me your name?? Oh god.. it starts with A… B… C… It’ll be a while till I get to you, Vicki with llamas. But I sure did have a great time getting to know everything about you (except your name on immediate recall).

Total miles: 64.4, 16.0 mpg, 2 hours 11 min. Site 127 electric & water hookups. Dump $20 with curb (we skipped). Pretty good cell service, but not as good as you’d think. Didn’t always work, but there is good campground wifi when you can hit it. Clubhouse for gatherings has stove, oven, fridge, big freezer, lots of folding tables and chairs.