Registration
This year’s dates are Thursday, September 19th – Sunday, September 22nd, 2019
Pre-registration is available before August 31st, 2019.
After August 31st you may register on-site at premium prices.
You may register using a printed registration form and mailing in a check or online with Paypal.
If your question is not answered below, contact [email protected]
Online registration is now closed. You may pay at the gate when you arrive (cash or check only). Weekend rate is $50, Day rate is $30. Dorms are $20. Students, with ID, rates are Weekend $25, Day $15, Dorms are $20. Kids (0-17) in FREE with paying adult. Imaging workshop on Sunday is $50.
Premium Imaging Workshop
This year, the Riverside Astronomical Society will again be hosting the Premium Imaging Workshop at RTMC. This year’s imaging workshop is about practical advice on “Imaging Away from Home.” This includes information about how to pack and travel, how to set up, special equipment, tactics, and techniques that you do not need in an observatory, or when imaging in the back yard. This, after all is the type of imaging many of us do. At Star Parties, in campgrounds away under dark skies, maybe while on vacation in some far away place, we want to take a picture. It presents special challenges. These will be addressed at the RTMC Premium Workshop.
All meals will be on a short order basis, pay as you go ‘*CASH ONLY*.
Click HERE to download the menu
Breakfast will be offered from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The dining hall will be kept mainly as an auditorium all day and night. Take your meal to the picnic tables out back or anywhere around the camp in the clamshell meal box you’ll receive holding your order.
Pets
The Camp Oakes personnel have requested that NO pets will be allowed in the camp unless it is a licensed service/therapy animal. This is for liability reasons and for you and your pet’s safety. They will ask you to leave if you bring a pet in to the camp that is not a licensed service animal. We greatly appreciate your understanding and following the Camp rules.
General Admission
General admission for adults is $50 and includes entry to the conference grounds for 4 days (Thursday through Sunday) and camping for 3 nights (Thursday through Saturday nights). Meals and dormitory lodging are not included. Admission is free for children 17 and under.
Single Day Admission
People coming for a single day (or any part thereof) may pay for a Single Day Admission, which is $30 for adults. Single Day Admission does not include camping, meals, or dorm lodging. Day Users arriving after 9 AM Saturday will be directed to special parking areas. Admission is free for children 17 and under.
Meals
Meals are now purchased individually on a short order basis. CASH ONLY.
Dormitory Lodging
Dormitory space is available for $20 for adults and free for children 17 and under for 3 nights (Thursday through Saturday nights). There may be some dorms assigned to volunteers or Scouts, so please check the front and back doors for a sign before setting up your space. One bathroom/shower facility is provided for each dorm. No assignments to specific dorms are made; each bunk is available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are signs denoting which are Men’s, Women’s and Family dorms. The 3-sided units with bunk beds that are open on one side are free to anyone who would like to use them. A mattress is provided, but you need to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow.
Off -Site Lodging
Lodging is also available off-site in the city of Big Bear Lake. Click on the following links for more information.
http://www.bigbearlake.net/hml/
http://www.bigbearinfo.com/lodging2.html
Recreational Vehicles/Camp Sites
There are no picnic tables, fire pits, or marked spaces in Camp Oakes. RV’s may not park on the telescope a field or in a way that will impede traffic or damage the environment at Camp Oakes. RV and trailer owners need to be especially careful of interior lights. Please park so that doors open away from observers, block windows to prevent light trespass, and mask interior lights with red cellophane as necessary. Generators may run only from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. RV’s are not allowed to connect to the camp electrical system. Also, there is no water supply available to fill your RV water tanks and no dumping facilities. Please bring your own water and plan to dump water or waste after you leave Camp Oakes.
Quiet Times/Active Locations
Not everybody sleeps at the same time. Many attendees will be observing from dusk until the wee hours of the morning. Please be courteous to your neighbors at all hours by minimizing noise. If you play music, play it quietly. On the other hand, please realize that your sleep may be disturbed by observers talking, using equipment, and in other ways as they stay up late. Locate your campsite accordingly.
Cleanup
When you leave, please make sure your area is trash free. Please leave Camp Oakes better than you found it.
Dusty Conditions
Outdoor carpeting under your scope and a tarp or other cover for the daytime are highly recommended to protect equipment from dust.
Refunds
Refunds for pre-registration can be obtained by notifying the RTMC Registrar NO LATER than Monday, September 9th. Paypal service fees are not refundable. Refunds will not be given for weather-related issues.