June 24-30
Bend, Oregon is very popular among the RV crowd. My guess would be that the affinity stems from the fact that so many RVers enjoy an outdoor lifestyle, a local beer scene (which is thriving in Bend), and locations with a fairly moderate year-round climate. Bend is also a nice mid-sized city with plenty of shopping options, a thriving downtown, and an overall progressive vibe that attracts a certain category of young professionals and retirees.
Local beer is kind of a thing in Bend
On the flip side (there is always a flip side), the housing costs in Bend are out of control, there seem to be very few jobs outside of the tourism industry, and the lack of diversity is kind of hard to ignore. We went to a free concert in the park for the Deschutes Brewery birthday celebration and I was struck by how everyone in the crowd looked exactly the same. Not only in skin tone, but also in the way that everyone from age 8 to 80 was outfitted in their finest athleisure wear as if they had just come from the trail.
Biking is also kind of a thing in Bend
As someone who admittedly fits in perfectly with this crowd, I find it telling that I even noticed the homogeneity. I mean, for most of my life, I lived near Burlington, Vermont which is basically the New England version of Bend. While I was always aware of the lack of diversity in Vermont, it never really bothered me. But the more time we spend traveling around, the more I am drawn to places that serve a wider variety of cultures, ideas, and economic situations.
Marionberries…it’s an Oregon thing
All of this is not to put down the city of Bend. On the contrary, I really, really like Bend. It ticks off so many of the things we are looking for when we eventually decided to settle somewhere. But underneath all the boozy events (Bend is really, really into beer) and healthy outdoor lifestyle (because you need to burn off all the beer somehow), there is a nagging feeling that the uniform population and explosion of real estate prices is creating a community where a little something is missing. Of course, in total, I have only spent three weeks in Bend, so maybe I am the one missing something. In any case, it’s a great place to visit!
We spent our week in Bend at the Scandia RV park. The last time we visited the area we spent two weeks boondocking in the forest just outside town. Since the boondocking options were not really that great and we were coming to the area specifically to get some in-town errands done, the decision was made to stay at an RV park in town. Scandia was a perfectly acceptable urban RV park. We had a plentiful grass, trees for shade, and a site long enough that we were able to pull all the way back and avoid a direct view of our neighbor’s sewer hose.
Tucked into our spot at Scandia
The location couldn’t have been more convenient. We were able to take the truck across the street to have it serviced at the Toyota dealership, make several trips to the nearby outlet mall (70% off at the Columbia outlet!), and re-stock the pantry and fridge. I also took advantage of our proximity to stores to buy the supplies I needed to continue my cabinet painting project.
Plenty of outside space for multiple projects – even a little sewing!
I painted the cabinets under the bed and the large closet and pantry door in the hall the same white I used on the other side of the Airstream.
Painting in progress
Say goodbye to the old dark hallway
For the kitchen, we picked out a dark grey-blue to contrast with the white. I was hesitant to paint the kitchen cabinets white as they are the ones that get the dirtiest from sticky fingers and food splatters. I also didn’t want the whole middle section of the Airstream to be the same color. In the end, it was the right choice and we LOVE how it turned out.
Say hello to our new grey-blue kitchen!
By the way, all of the painted cabinets have held up really well. Even the first ones that I painted over a year ago are showing no signs of wear or chipping. Occasionally, the cabinet over the fridge where we keep the pots and pans gets a few dirty finger marks but they easily wipe off with a damp sponge.
Aside from busting out this major painting project and running around to what felt like every store in town, we got in some quality social time while in Bend. There was an afternoon of beer, pizza, and more beer with our friends Jennette & Eric and Shannon & Dave. Another evening of beer festivities with Shannon & Dave at the Deschutes 30th birthday bash (part I), a BBQ at our place where S & D brought a selection of amazing local cupcakes, and finally, the Deschutes birthday party in the park with free music and more beer which was followed by an impromptu dinner back at S & D’s house.
Beer & cupcakes with friends
Us with super hosts Shannon & Dave (photo credit: 2wanderAway.com)
Party in the park
Phew! Good times in Bend for sure. Now it’s back out to the forest so we can hike off all that beer.
13 comments
Thanks for you fun and infomative posts. And you’re right about the lack of diversity in Oregon. We live in the Columbia River Gorge, not too far from Portland. We love Oregon, but the homogeneity is the number one downside.
Yes, it’s a prevalent problem in many of the northern more liberal states. I always find it funny that those of us who proudly proclaim ourselves to be accepting of everyone and anyone often end up living in communities where the lack of diversity is the most striking.
Kevin and I talk about the lack of diversity in much of this country all the time. Coming from the D.C. area, it is real hard not to notice how many places in the U.S. are populated entirely by people who look exactly like us. And it’s easy to figure out why we have so many problems caused by a lack of experience and understanding. I have started writing about 14 different articles that have touched on this issue, but they are all in my drafts folder…. In the meantime, I was kindof assuming our upcoming travels through Oregon would feel different. Maybe not….
Anyway, interesting stuff and all part of our growing understanding, for better and worse, of what makes our country tick.
It’s a strange thing because I think it’s only human nature to want to surround yourself with others who share the same values and opinions. But too much of that leads to mistrust and misunderstanding of others. I am sure you are seeing it a lot in Colorado. Some of those touristy mountains towns are the worst offenders (although I love them anyway).
Leaving in San Diego we do have diversity, lots of it! I too notice the lack of it when we travel, but then that is part of the experience. It took us many years to find a decent Mexican restaurant in Dayton OH when visiting Fran’s family. My niece worked at Looney Bean for a short while and had left when we had planned to spend some time there. So Bend remains on our ToDo list. You and other bloggers really offer some excellent adventures in the area.
Oh yes, Bend is a wonderful place to visit for sure. There is so much to do, not to mention all the delicious beer and a vibrant local food scene. I can imagine that coming from San Deigo finding a decent Mexican restaurant in most other parts of the country is going to be a challenge!
Love – love – love the quilt on your bed – did you make it? Since you travel with a sewing machine – perhaps you’re a quilter?
Thanks! I made it a few years ago. I used to be really into quilting but didn’t think it was possible in an RV. While making a queen size quilt in such a small space was no easy task (I had to utilize outside space quite a bit) it was a fun project and since then I have tackled a few smaller projects.
We rented an RV for 3 weeks in Oregon last year and stayed at the Scandia in Bend. We also visited with friends and did the Bend Ale Trail visiting 10 breweries while in town. (And don’t worry, we took turns sampling and tasting plus walked it since we didn’t want to drive and park the RV) I really enjoyed Bend but you’re right about the diversity. Love the cabinets!
Great post Amanda. Glacier National Park was the first major park we’ve visited where the tourists all looked alike. It was weird to be in view sites and concessions and see only one person of color in three days.. Diversity is one of the things we expect at the national parks, so the lack of it really stuck out. It’s also something we look for when sizing up a place for the future. Sadly too few of the really beautiful places check that important box. The painting is looking great!!! I’ve always wanted a painted interior although I’m sure I’ll never tackle it myself :-) The exterior is sure holding its shine – look at that reflection!
You’re right, national parks usually host people from all over the world so not seeing that at Glacier is odd. Thanks for the nice comment about the painting. I’ve always been into painting walls no matter where I live (a strange hobby I know) so it only seems natural that I do it in the Airstream as well. Maybe I need to hire myself out as an interior RV painter :)
Another wonderful post Amanda. I remember going to a festival recently where at one point, in the crowd, I looked around and all I could see was a sea of white faces. I still enjoyed myself but considering I was in a big city it was a weird experience.
Love the color you chose in the kitchen btw!
Funny that you mention a festival because we just spent four days at a music festival and like you said, looking out over the crowd all I saw was a sea of white faces. Considering we were 30 minutes from Portland I expected a bit more diversity, but I guess bluegrass must be considered “white people” music ;) What I find especially interesting is how much more I notice this phenomenon now that I don’t live in a state where the population is 98% white. This whole traveling thing really opens your eyes! Thanks for the nice comment about our new kitchen paint!