Airestreaming in Bend, Oregon

Jun 21, 2026 · 5 minute read/983 words
Pictures published :30

Oregon

Where we camped

We stayed at Sun Outdoors Bend. I enjoyed the park, our site was large and the amenities were plentiful. Donna and I used the hot tub, played ping pong, used al the laundry services, enjoyed the nature trails, and utilized the dog park. A few other Airstreams were in the park. One owner had the same truck tires I do. We found solace in how many pebbles the tires collect and how much damage has been caused to the front (sacrifica) panels on the airstream. The Michlien LTX Platinum tire is worse then on-cloud shoes when it comes to rock collection. When a tire collects rocks the centrifical force created by rotational speed will fling the collected rocks into your airstream and other vehicles. The tires have held up well under heavy use, my only dislike is the damage they cause. If you have a boat or a trailer that you dont want rock chips on, don’t buy these tires.

Exploring

Lava tube Cave

Basalt and volcanoes are a key geologic force for most of Oregon. We were able to explore Lava River Cave. Procuring tickets was fairly easy, which means that Donna did here magic of stalking the service and being online at the right time.

Parking
Caveman
Hiking

Parking

We were able to park the Airstream in the parking lot at the cave. Parking on site was super convenient, allowing the dogs to stay in the trailer and giving us peace of mind to explore the cave in full. The parking lot only has 5 RV sites, the attendants/staff try to keep the sites open for people like us with vehicle/trailer/RVs.

Caveman

While hiking the cave I got some cave water in my mouth. If I were to be infected with a man enhancing cave micro-organism, I would become “caveman”, neanderthal extraordinaire.

Hiking

Hiking the cave requires lights. Caves are one of the only places on earth where you can experience absolute darkness. Even with hundreds of people in the cave at once, we had a few opportunities to turn off the lights and see true darkness. Renting a light from the site is easy and cheap, we also brought extra headlamps with us. We have two different headlamps, a running version that I use for late night walks from REI, and a costco 3 pack Coast branded lights. The Coast CH1000R worked exceptionally well and I would recommend them. My favorite thing about them is that they have a usb battery pack but can also be powered by “AAA” batteries. Allowing me to forget to charge the battery pack and use batteries.

Coast

The Coast CH1000R worked exceptionally well and I would recommend them. My favorite thing about them is that they have a usb battery pack but can also be powered by “AAA” batteries. Allowing me to forget to charge the battery pack and use batteries.

Black Diamond

I often forget to charge this headlamp, however it seems to always work when I need it, however I usually only use it for a few minutes. If I am working on dumping tanks, or doing late night bicycle/trailer maintenance, I like the light pattern it throws however its horrible for face to face conversation in the dark. Deploy 325

Lava Cast Forest

One of the hikes we did was the Lava Cast forest. The hike is a day use area, passes are required. Dogs were allowed on the trail and we hiked the full loop (~1 mile). What made the trail so interesting was the intersection of lava and a forest. The trail has many examples of large trees that were “cast” into the lava. Casting of a tree is where the lava has run into the forest, formed around the tree and left a permanent hole in the lava where the lava cooled around the burning tree. The lava field here is impressive as you can see across the horizon where the lava flowed and came to a stop. Another example of the amazing power of this rock we live on.

Lava Butte

The Lava Butte was another dog friendly trail that was a fun hike with amazing views and information. It was fun to learn about the local biology. How the trees grow with little water and soil, what impact it has on the wood(Swirls) and the small animals that call the lava butte home.

The trip to Bend

The whole purpose of this spring trip was to be around Estacada Oregon for a Nephews wedding. In Estacada we camped at Milo McIver State Park.

Milo McIver State Park

The state park was the

Fernie’s Coffee (Rhody)

This spot was a cool roadside coffee stop. The breakfast sandwich was yummy, they also had many hot sauce to choose from. Stop here, we had fun. Clearly a dog friendly place as the walls were pasted with polaroids of the local dog scene.

Kafiex Roasters

While traveling I am constantly searching for things I enjoy (novel I know). Apparently one of the best coffee roasters (As described by Roast Magazine) is located in Vancouver Washington. I planned a stop here since they had a farmers market the same day. Shopping for veggies and coffee, two of my favorite things. The Coffee/Roast was good. Bought a bag of beans, however the visit to the shop had me questioning if they will be here in 3 years. The customer service is abysmal, I ordered an Espresso and asked for it in a ceramic cup. They refused, said it was too busy on farmers market days to wash dishes. Only three people were in the shop which seats at least 20+. I wrote the following review to let the owners know about my experience. Their reply is exactly why I don’t think they will survive.

Airstreaming North America with our Airedales