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6/3 Gorge wind, perfect dirt, and Hills of Pain

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Good morning,

It’s another lovely spring day in the Gorge, and it’s going to be a great day for multi-sport playing if you’re one of those people who can sneak out on a Monday. There’s a .07 gradient this morning and the wind was 16mph at the Hatchery as I was writing the forecast (desperately hoping my coffee would kick in quickly). Models don’t think it will be windy at all today, but I think we’ll see a gradual increase to steady 17-21 from the Hatchery to Hood River this morning, picking up at Stevenson and Doug’s by early afternoon.

High pressure fills in on both sides of the Cascades overnight tonight, setting up a beautiful not-windy day tomorrow. Expect east wind at 5-10 in the morning, swinging to west 5-10 in the afternoon. Yes, it will be a lovely day for standup paddling, road biking, rowing your shell, fishing, and spraying orchards.

In mountain bike news, everything along the 44 Road, except for Dog River, is riding great. That trail took a beating during the Enduro race, and is currently better going up than it is down. Oakridge, as always, is better going down than it is going up, and the connector between the two, Surveyor’s, is riding GREAT! According to a couple of girls I met up there yesterday, Lewis River and Falls Creek are both open, but that’s third-hand information, so be prepared for it to be incorrect. Keep your eyes open for morels above 3500′. There’s your hint. You get a hint because my belly is very full of morels.


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Desert high pressure takes a hike on Wednesday, allowing gradients to increase across the Gorge. At this point, I’m guessing W 21-24 near Hood River, but tomorrow will provide a better idea. In the long-range guess (it’s really not a forecast past 72 hours, you know), Thursday bring strong, gusty wind, and Friday brings steadier wind. The weekend looks hot, with east wind.

If you want to ride bikes tonight, there’s the Ride Around the Gorge, which is a slow-paced road bike ride. Check the Columbia Gorge Tri Club’s Facebook page for more information, because last I heard they were debating whether to ride from Hood River or from Mosier. Too easy for you? Join Rutger and the HRVHS Nordic Team for Hill of Pain, East Side, on your road bike at 5:30 at China Gorge park n’ ride.

Coming up tomorrow night, there’s pickup touch rugby at 5:30 at the Hood River Marina. There’s also the Columbia Gorge Tri Club’s weekly triathlon practice at the east end of the event site at 6pm. There’s a triathlon at Blue Lake on the 9th that a bunch of those folks are doing, and then there’s the Coeur d’Alene Ironman on the 23rd.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira

By Temira

Temira Lital is a recreation and travel weather forecaster based in Hood River, Oregon. Temira uses they/them pronouns. They're also a mental health counselor. Temira bikes, skis, windsurfs, paddles a SUP, swims in mountain lakes, and loves gardening. Most recently they've taken up SUP foiling. Temira is powered by La Croix, protein, and beets.