Forecast - The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

This week’s report is brought to you by Mosier’s gems: the Thirsty Woman, Good River restaurant and Vine 69 wine bar. If you haven’t been to the Thirsty Woman, you’re missing out. There are about 20 awesome beers on tap, casual, dog-friendly outdoor seating, and excellent $7 nachos. Coming up tomorrow is delicious brunch at Good River. Ride your bike out there and brunch is calorie-free. Kinda. One of you will win $25 at each of the three restaurants this week, so head to Mosier and support our sponsor!

If you’re a windsurfer or kiter, you’re in heaven right now as the Northwest is locked in a wind-friendly weather pattern. High pressure off the coast combines with marine clouds from a low pressure trough for westerlies into the foreseeable future.

The gradient from Portland to The Dalles at 5am was at .14, marine clouds were stacked up west of Hood River, and the wind was moaning and howling outside my window at 5am. Westerlies will blow in the 26-30 range from Viento to Mosier this morning, filling in at Doug’s, Maryhill and Arlington later on. As a front crosses the Cascades today, the wind might get gusty, but it’s going to blow all day long. My pick today is the Hatchery or Swell or the Sandbar this morning, before the front has a chance to screw things up. Either that, or cross your fingers and hope for Maryhill later on today.

Tomorrow looks windy too, with a little bit lighter start. 15-18 near Hood River early builds to 22-25 midday, eventually filling in from Stevenson out to Maryhill.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday look exactly like Sunday, and that’s as far out as I’m going to forecast.

In other news, today is the amateur competition day for the Bridge of the Gods kiteboarding festival in Stevenson. Also happening today are lots of sailboat races in Cascade Locks, bike racing in Trout Lake, Jackson’s Ride the Gorge in Hood River, and for the kids, Jr. Forest Ranger day at Skibowl. Finally, tonight, there’s the free, outdoor movie “The Dish” presented by Hood River Community Ed at Jackson Park in Hood River. Coming up next week it’s Return of the Jedi!

Boaters, the White Salmon’s just above 2 feet and the Klickitat’s at 950 cfs. The Saturday Kayak Shed shop paddle is off for the next couple of weeks, as the fearless leader Tim will be out of town.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira

p.s. If you find this report useful, entertaining, or just want to recognize all the hard work that goes into it, please take the time to make a donation by clicking on the button at the bottom of the page. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til May 2011, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors.

Good morning!

This week’s report is brought to you by Mosier’s best places to hang out, the Thirsty Woman, Good River restaurant, and Vine 69 wine bar. If you haven’t been to the Thirsty Woman, you’re missing out. There are about 20 awesome beers on tap, and the $7 nachos are awesome. Better yet, Thirsty Woman has a big outdoor yard with plenty of sunny or shady seating, and a great view of the beautiful Gorge sunsets. Hop on your bike and ride to Mosier this evening for a beer or dinner – it’s only 6.5 miles from downtown, and the ride can’t be beat. One of you will win $25 at each of the three restaurants this week, so head to Mosier and support our sponsor!

It was already blowing at 5am with the Portland to The Dalles gradient at .15. The gradient will build and shift east as the day goes on. Head to the Hatchery or Sandbar this morning for westerlies building into the 26-30 range. The wind will probably get gusty midday, so head east to Doug’s, the Wall and possibly Arlington late in the day for 28-32. If you want to watch some amazing kiteboarding, head to Stevenson for the Bridge of the Gods pro event and photo shoot today. Tomorrow is the amateur event.

Also today in the western Gorge is a lot of sailboat racing at Cascade Locks. Representing the windsurfing community is Simon Pearson of BC in the Fireball class (those are super-fast boats more related to spaceships than to classic sailboats). Best of luck to Simon and his sailing partner! And if you want to see some new-school sailboat racing, head to Cascade Locks and check it out!

Tomorrow looks windy too as a cold front crosses the Cascades. If the clouds make it past Hood River tomorrow morning, head to Mosier and Doug’s for 23-26 in the morning. As the clouds burn back, the wind will fill in near Hood River and at Maryhill in the 24-27 range.

Coming up tonight, it’s First Friday in Hood River, with the 2nd Wind and IPS Skate Shop rail jam on 4th Street, complete with 6 truckloads of snow donated by Timberline Lodge, and music by Sunderland! Also tonight, from 4-8, there’s a trek road and mountain bike demo at Post Canyon.

And coming up this weekend, there are a ton of events. There’s the O(regon)BRA road championships in Trout Lake (no, the irony is not lost on me), and Jackson’s Ride the Gorge in Hood River (fully supported 25/50/100 mile road ride to benefit sarcoma research), Jr. Forest Ranger day at Skibowl, the Trout Lake Fair, and the continuation of the Bridge of the Gods kiteboarding festival.

Boaters, the White Salmon’s just above 2 feet and the Klickitat’s at 950 cfs. If you want to boat with a crowd, there’s the Kayak Shed’s Saturday shop paddle tomorrow meeting at Husum (I believe) at 10:30.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira