Descend on Bend gathering/ VanagonLife

[JJPDX]

Hello, stumbled into this site from Salem Oregon...  High end conversion shop and a yearly gathering near Bend OR.

http://www.vanagonlife.com/#descendonbend

 

[highdesertranger]

I will say high end. seems like a Vanagon group. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

All rigs are welcome, I'm planning on going to it.
Bob

 

[Damian Rolling]

I attended the “Descend on Bend” event last month and really enjoyed it. While it is mainly about Vanagons, there were plenty of other vehicle types. Everyone was welcomed and people were very friendly. At the bottom I’ve included a couple of links to YouTube videos posted by other attendees.

This event is similar to the RTR in that the main focus is socializing. I do not know how many people attended, but I heard secondhand that the permit obtained from the Forest Service allowed up to 300 vehicles and 800 people (and one fire). The only organized activities were a potluck dinner and a raffle for schwag. Oh, and there was a bar: a Sprinter van from a brewery with four taps mounted on the side.  

The weather was poor with frequent light rain and high wind advisories or warnings much of the weekend. The overnight temps were in the upper thirties. I think this is typical for central Oregon in October. 

The only thing I was not keen about was that I ended up camping on a road boxed between other vans. The road runs along the rim of the volcanic crater. Some may have camped right on the road because low-clearance vehicles (like mine) would have trouble pulling off onto the scrub. Regardless, once on this road I was boxed in until Sunday morning when people started to leave. High-clearance vehicles were able to cross over to the adjacent road to leave when they wanted (you can see what I mean in the videos).

People were camped pretty close to one another. Not a big deal for a weekend gathering and considering the goal for attending was to socialize. It was actually a quiet crowd and I slept well. And I did meet a lot of people including one couple I met at the RTR last January. 

The bottom line is that I thought this was a great event and well worth the $25 fee. I will definitely attend next year (but will camp off the rim road).

This first video uses drone footage that shows camp layout. (Run time: 3 min 43 sec)

 

This second video has a ‘drive around’ on the rim road. At the 57 second mark you can see an ingenious camper idea: a Casita trailer, minus the wheels, mounted on a flatbed truck! (Run time 3 min 57 sec)

 

[djkeev]

Yep, a hugely attended gathering with mostly Vanagons.... (MY people!) well promoted on thesamba.com

Few are the Vanagon folk who actually live in their unit. There are some, but more the exception than the rule.
It's a vacation pod rather than a home.

Dave