Vancouver Island Altogather

In which Moominmama attends a Pacific Northwest Alto-gather, reconnecting with old friends and trading tips about our Alto trailers...

Meet my friend Janet, the selfie photographer in this picture, and all my other Alto friends as we gathered for a potluck dinner at a group campsite on Vancouver Island. We all own Alto trailers of one sort or another, all made by Safari Condo, a Quebec company. 

As someone commented, our trailers create instant friendships among people from very different backgrounds. But what we do have in common is an appreciation for a small, well-made and energy-efficient trailer, a love for the outdoors and an openness to new experiences. It turns out I am pretty much guaranteed to hit it off with a fellow Altoiste.

It was also fascinating to hear from my Canadian friends exactly how angry they are at the current U.S. administration. They are not planning trips into the States and are doing their best not to buy American products -- and they support their new Prime Minister Mark Carney in his refusal to grovel over tariffs.

My time hiking Canadian trails has also made it apparent how much care and attention national and provincial parks get from the Canadian people and their governmental budgets. The U.S. has really fallen behind in caring for its parks, and it's only getting worse.

This is Moominmama's third Altogather and second trip to Vancouver Island, which allowed me to reconnect with Alto friends who come from nearby as well as make new friends who come from farther afield. It's lovely to assemble camp chairs together around a fire in the evening. With campfires banned on the island, we were grateful to Brent and Lori for bringing a propane fire that was allowed.

We had lots of interesting conversations and good laughs around that fire at night sharing travel stories, disaster stories, marvelous coincidences and more. During the day, folks went their own way or in smaller groups to enjoy what the Courtenay/Comox area had to offer.

For me that was a long hike to several lakes in Strathcona Provincial Park near Vancouver Island's Mount Washington. This is Croteau Lake, which positioned itself nicely in front of the mountains, don't you think?

Imagine cold, crystal clear water from those snow-covered mountains. There's also the Comox glacier, that one can see from the Comox harbor. It is the larger patch of white to the left in this photo near the marina. 

We had beautiful weather for our four days. Sunny and warm but with a breeze. I enjoyed pebbly beaches on a group hike to the Seal Bay Nature Park, a trip to the Comox marina and a lunch of seafood chowder. 

Moominmma packed in a lot of socializing in a short time! Back on my own now, I am pausing on the mainland to allow for some much-needed repairs to the Alto - among other things replacing the window that was cracked by a passing tractor trailer that got too close.

I head next into the Canadian Rockies and while I've been there before, this time, I'm visiting some of the less-famous national parks. And now, after the Altogather, I've gotten expert advice from my Canadian friends on where to go and what to see! 

Here's Moominmama after a refreshing dip in Battleship Lake in Strathcona. Summer doesn't get much better than this!