Sunriver / Bend Oregon

 

November 3 – November 7, 2020

We left the incredible Redwood Parks and Pacific Ocean early in the morning. This is a significant event as we start our return home. There is plenty of time for us to get home and there is much more to see and do, but we will be beginning to make the long drive home. If we go straight across the country the mileage is 2, 530 miles but that is not our route.  Our immediate destination is Bend / Sunriver Campground in Sunriver, Oregon.  This will the last of our Thousand Trails membership camping for this trip. This park was highly recommended so why not see what it was all about. After all, we have time and it’s not the destination but the journey! It doesn’t change the mileage much  (except for more drive time in the mountains) – 2,572 miles to home. 

The drive to Sunriver, Oregon was approx. 250 miles. The first 100 miles were the worst. Mile after mile of narrow twisting, turning, up/down, hold your breath type of roads. Roads so narrow that when the logging trucks and larger trucks drove past, there could have only been a few inches of clearance between the side mirrors, and all mountains. We never stopped going up in elevation. There have been some very tough drives so far, but this was the most difficult.

We have only mentioned the west coast fires in regard to air quality and how we had to altered our trip. Until now, we have seen little signs of the fires. The drive from Crescent City, CA to Sunriver, OR reminded us that those fires were so recent and quite devastating to this part of the country. Miles and miles of charred trees and vegetation. No time was wasted cleaning the area. Trees were cut, stripped of limbs and bark, and transported out of the area. They appeared to be making good progress, however, it will be a very long time before their work is done.

Piles of burned trees ready to be removed.

So much of this type of activity on our drive from California.

Finally in Sunriver, we find our campground, pick our site, and call it a day. The campground was nestled in a forested area - very large level sites with great amenities (during the season). If you were a family with children, you would want to be here. This is the kind of place the children would leave in the morning and come back to the campsite after dark. Such a great place to explore. There was a pool, mini golf, tennis courts, fishing, trails that went on forever, sand pit perfectly groomed for riding bikes up and down the hills, a nearby river, and more. Part of the campground was closed so we could only see so much. Beautiful place.

 

Enjoying a good fire during the snow.

As we explore the town of Sunriver (15 miles from Bend) in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, it is soon obvious the town it is a well planned residential and resort community. The town seems to be established with outdoor activities in mind. Walking and biking trails are incorporated into the community. There is a desert museum, observatory, beautiful lakes, waterfall hikes, and golf. There were plenty of signs for groomed cross-country skiing trails, downhill skiing, and more. 

One of many recreational lakes in Sunriver.

Bike expressway with tunnel under road.

Walking and biking roads throughout the city.

It was unfortunate that we could not enjoy all there was to do in this area. We had to settle for some driving excursions, which is great, but there was so much which required walking. InFYI - In the Redwood Parks, I slipped off a tree stump (trying to get a picture of the inside of a redwood tree where I backed up just a bit too far) and injured my foot enough that walking is quite a challenge and very painful.  

We drove to Mt. Bachelor ski resort which has an elevation of 9,000+ feet. As a reference, weekend adult lift tickets are $149/day. You can also reserve your parking spot in one of their lots for the day. One of the nearby mountains erupted over 1000 years ago and continues to be watched for eruption. The area near that volcano is primarily lava rocks. It was interesting to see where the lava traveled as the rocks dramatically change the landscape.

Past volcano damage to mountain.

Many miles of lava fields.

From driving around the area, we realized just how much of the area is available (and maintained) for an outdoor enthusiast.  We were glad we able to explore some of the area – even if it was just from the car.

The last few days of our stay in the Bend/Sunriver area were in the snow. If the snow had continued, we would have stayed a few extra days to avoid traveling through the mountains in ice, snow, and windy conditions. On the last day of our stay, the snow finally stopped and the roads appeared to be clear. Looking at the weather ahead, this was a small window of acceptable weather before another snow front came through. It’s time to move across the mountains.

  

Our campsite in the beginning of the snow.

Mt. Bachelor after the snow.

 

Temperature: range from 30’s – low 50’s day / low 30’s – 40’s night

Air Quality: Excellent

Elevation: 140 feet – 4,800 feet

Campground(s):  Bend - Sunriver RV Campground (Sunriver, Oregon)

Free Camping: none