Forecast - The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

This week’s report is brought to you by the Gorge Surf Shop at 13 Oak Street in downtown Hood River. The Gorge Surf Shop has the best windsurfing gear: Fanatic and Tabou boards, and Gaastra and Maui Sails, with sails starting at just $199. Why should you shop there? Because all the employees are well-educated hardcore windsurfers who can use their brainpower to make sure you end up with the right gear. Swing by and say hello to Darko, Transatlantic, Garrison, Recently and Slice, and maybe, if you’re lucky, Scotty will give you a nickname of your own!

It’s going to be a windy day in the Gorge today. The 5am gradient was already .15 from Portland to The Dalles with another .07 out east, and the wind was already blowing in the upper teens. You pretty much have your choice of where to go today. Strongest wind this morning will be from Stevenson to Hood River, building to the 28-32 range at the Hatchery. In the afternoon, the wind fills in at Maryhill and Arlington, with averages right around 30 mph.

As high pressure builds over the Northwest tomorrow, the wind backs off. We’ll likely start off with west winds in the upper teens, but those winds will slowly fade through the day. Even if it isn’t windy, Daphne Willis plays at the Sandbar Café at the Event Site tomorrow night at 6pm, so you’ll still have a good reason to spend some time on the waterfront.

Coming up this weekend, the weather warms up and the wind switches directions. East winds in the 22-26 range blow in Stevenson and at Rooster on Saturday, likely continuing Sunday. The organizers of the CGKA blowout are debating a course of action at this time. Stay tuned for more information.

On Saturday, windsurfers are invited to check out the latest boards and sails from the Goya line. The demo was scheduled to take place at Doug’s, but I have a funny feeling it might move west… waiting for confirmation from Windance on that. On Saturday afternoon, there’s a windsurfer party at Windance, with BBQ, beer, and Francisco Goya. That list is not necessarily in order of importance.

If you’re a dirt biker, listen up: East Side, Pine Mont and Middle mountain trails are now under a regulated use closure due to fire danger. West Side Trails are still open, but remember that your bike still needs an ATV sticker and a spark arrestor. I actually don’t know what ATV stickers and spark arrestors are, but that’s what the email said, so I’m throwing it in here.

If you happen to have a tandem bike, there’s a tandem-only ride leaving 10 Speed Coffee in Hood River at 5:30 tomorrow evening. And speaking of road biking, the Race Across Oregon, a 522 mile race with a few solo riders (George, for one), starts Saturday from the Hood River Inn, with start times between 5am and 9am.

Somehow I was confused yesterday morning about what day it was. So, today is your chance to chance to give your input on a proposed trail from Wyeth to Hood River. That’s from 3:30-7 p.m. in the Hood River County Commission chambers, 601 State St. This is an open house to discuss the Historic Columbia River State Trail Plan, which will lay out the last 11 miles of the trail between Hood River and Troutdale. The public – that’s you – is invited to participate in the planning process, provide input and view the plan in progress.

That’s it for today. Whatever you do today, have an awesome day!

Temira

p.s. If you find this report useful, entertaining, or just happen 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. Thank you for using this report, and thank you for your support!

Good morning!

This week’s report is brought to you by the Gorge Surf Shop at 13 Oak Street in downtown Hood River. The Gorge Surf Shop has the best windsurfing gear: Fanatic and Tabou boards, and Gaastra and Maui Sails. Why should you shop there? Because all the employees are well-educated hardcore windsurfers who can use their brainpower to make sure you end up with the right gear. Swing by and say hello to Darko, Transatlantic, Garrison, Recently and Slice, and maybe, if you’re lucky, Scotty will give you a nickname of your own!

I had a few people tell me earlier this summer that the Gorge was broken. If it was, it’s fixed now, as you can see by the whitecaps on the river again this morning. With the 5am gradient at .11 and the wind already in the upper teens through the whole gorge, it’s going to be another windy one on the river. 23-26 from Viento to Hood River fills in from Stevenson to Doug’s this afternoon.

Coming up Thursday, it’s another big windsurfing day in the eastern Gorge, as a low pressure trough sits in the desert and strong high pressure holds at the coast. Dawn Patrol in the low twenties from Hood River to Doug’s builds to 28-32 from Hood River eastward in the afternoon.

It looks like the wind will be light Friday, so Nate from Dog River Coffee will have a chance to read a newspaper in his yard without folding it up like origami (the newspaper, not the yard). On Friday night, the amazing Daphne Willis plays at the Sandbar Café at the Hood River Event Site, so even if it’s not windy, there will still be something to do on the waterfront.

At this point, it looks like we’ll see east winds on Saturday and calm winds on Sunday, with a chance of thunderstorms due to southerly upper flow from an upper level low off the California coast.

Boaters, the Klickitat’s at 1170 cfs and the White Salmon’s at 2.3 feet. If you’re hoping for windless Klickitat, you’ll have it on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Don’t forget about the Kayak Shed’s shop paddle, meeting at the Husum put-in at 5:30 tonight. That’s followed by pizza and beer… somewhere.

Temira