Forecast - The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

There’s a pretty solid cloud line just west of Hood River this morning, and that’s good news for all of you wind Johnnies (wind Johnnies = poleboarders and tangleboarders). The 5am gradient was at .15 from Portland to The Dalles, and it was already blowing in the low twenties from Swell to Doug’s. With the clouds stacked up like this, strongest wind today will be from Hood River to Mosier in the morning and at Doug’s and Rowena this afternoon. We’ll see 24-29 at the windy spots today, all day long, and 19-24 at the less windy places. If you’re headed to the Hatchery, highway 14 at White Salmon is 100% open today. Highway 14 at Dog Mountain is closed 9-11am and at various other times.

High pressure holds at the coast tomorrow and low pressure drops into the Washington desert from BC. That setup will power winds in the 22-26 range from Rowena eastward tomorrow. Wednesday is looking like another big westerly day. I think I might have to take the entire week off. =)

If you’d prefer wind and waves, the central coast will fire again today, with 25 knots and a 12 foot swell. After today, the coastal wind backs off a bit.

Out on the mountain bike trails, the dirt is very, very good, and if you can ride today, you should. My bike is in the shop, (that would be Dirty Fingers Bike Repair), yet again, so I will not be riding. Mountain bikes are like boats and old cars: money drains!

If you need some relaxation tonight – maybe to recover from bike repair bills – there are two fun things going on. First is community Tai Chi at Wilson Park in Hood River at 6pm. That’s a free class, with instruction provided. Second is Mountain View Cycle’s alternative ride. Meet at Mountain View at 6:30 tonight for a cruising ride to Mosier for dinner at the Thirsty Woman. Lights of some sort and a helmet are required for this ride. Mountain View is trying to start the Parkdale Taco ride again… that one will leave the shop at 5pm for tacos at Eliot Glacier. Give the shop a call if you’re interested.

That’s it for today. Have an awesome day today!

I’m off for a kayaking lesson… first ever… yippee!!!

Temira

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Good morning!

The wind on the river isn’t much to get excited about this morning, but don’t give up. A cold front hits the coast, like a steroid-powered baseball player smacking a home run, this afternoon and gradients turn strongly onshore. There’s always a bit of a guess factor into this kind of weather event, but I think we’ll see a steady build into the 25-29 range today (at least… maybe lots more if we’re really luck), with strongest wind in the western Gorge. Sometimes the Hatch doesn’t work well with this setup, so keep an eye on Stevenson, The Hook and Doug’s for the steadiest wind.

Tomorrow brings more wind, along with dawn patrol. At this point, I’m thinking we’ll see 24-28 near Hood River tomorrow. There’s a good chance the clouds might push past Hood River, in which case we’re all headed east from Mosier to Rufus for the steadiest wind. The cloudy parts of the Gorge will see gusty 14-18 tomorrow. The best news is that there’s no construction planned for SR 14 near White Salmon this week. Those of you coming from Stevenson will have some closures this week.

Tuesday looks windy too, and so does Wednesday! And Thursday! And if you’re tired of sailing the Gorge, head to the coast where it’s very wind with 8-10 waves. Wish I was there…

On the bike trails, Post is in excellent shape from the top of the Super D to the bottom of 7 streams. Apparently I am not in excellent shape, because I’m super tired today from pedaling to the top of the Super D. =) Get Post before it’s dusty! Also, tonight is the Disco shop ride. Meet at Discover Bikes at 6:30 for a ride in the dirt… somewhere….

Boaters, the Hood’s at 4.8 feet, the White Salmon’s at 4 feet and the Klickitat is at 2610 cfs. And, today really is your last chance to go rafting on the Wind River. It’s at 5.6 feet. Give Wet Planet a call to get in on that action. They had 5 full boats yesterday… pretty cool…

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That’s it for today. Whatever you do today, have a super awesome and amazing day! I’m going rafting with my freshman-year Humanities professor from Reed. The world is a funny place sometimes…