The Gorge is my Gym

Before you read on, please remember that this report (wind, snow and events!) is brought to you free of charge. Nobody pays me to do this unless you do! If the report saves you time, money, keeps you in the loop, or just helps you have more fun, please take the time to

make a donation. Suggested minimum: $12. That gets you on the mailing list and in the running for prizes. That’s $1/month You pay more than that in gas driving to the beach or the mountain. I know I’ve saved you that much. Kick down! Thank you for your support!
Wow. Last night’s sunset was out-of-this-world. Bright colors and lightning. What more could you want? The sunrise this morning wasn’t exactly spectacular, so I went back to sleep. And now your forecast is late. Sorry.

On the water today, it’s going to be a windy day. The gradient is already at .12, indicative of a big day on the way. We’ll have westerlies at 24-28 from Stevenson to Hood River in the morning (as soon as the wind gods wake up), picking up to 26-30 or more by mid-morning (or maybe early afternoon), holding through the afternoon and filling in at Doug’s and Rowena too. Even the eastern Gorge will get some breeze today, with 23-26 late all the way out at Arlington and Biggs.

Tomorrow starts off with strong westerlies at 24-28 near Hood River, backing off in the afternoon.Wednesday looks like the lightest wind day this week, with the westerlies backing off into the low to mid teens, but by Thursday afternoon, it’ll pick back up into the strong range, staying windy through next weekend. So, if you’ve got stuff to do that requires light wind, Wednesday looks like your day.

The wind next weekend has got to be good news for the folks at Kiteboarding for Cancer, because their big yearly fundraiser is next weekend at Hood River’s Event Site. If you’d like more information, check out KB4C.org. And for you bakers out there, KB4C is looking for cookie donations. Drop them off at the Event Site next Saturday by 11am.

Coming up this evening, it’s free Tai Chi time at Wilson Park in Hood River at 6pm. The workout week starts tomorrow with Tuesday night triathlon practice at the Event Site, and, weather permitting, the bladies standup paddle club, at the Big Winds trailer at the Event Site.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira

Good morning,

Windance is your source for just about everything: Kiteboarding, windsurfing, SUP, snow, surf, with a knowledgeable poser-free sales force there to help you choose the right gear. Plenty of demos ensure that you’ll love what you buy. Plus, Windance has the Gorge’s largest selection of used gear and 3 swap meets (next one: July 1st). Not only does Windance bring you great gear and great service, they bring you great parties, with free food, free beer, and the chance to hang out with all your wind-loving friends. Windance, open 7 days a week, 8am-6pm. The people who’ve donated have a chance to win a free wetsuit this week. Now, don’t you want to donate? =)

Before you read on, please remember that this report (wind, snow and events!) is brought to you free of charge. Nobody pays me to do this unless you do! If the report saves you time, money, keeps you in the loop, or just helps you have more fun, please take the time to

make a donation. Suggested minimum: $12. That gets you on the mailing list and in the running for prizes. That’s $1/month You pay more than that in gas driving to the beach or the mountain. I know I’ve saved you that much. Kick down! Thank you for your support!

For you shoppers today, it’s yet another swap meet. This one’s brought to you by the Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association, and it’s taking place at the Expo Center parking lot this morning. After the swap meet, head over to the Event Site for free gear demos and free beginner windsurfing lessons.

It’s definitely going to be a good day to get on the water. As of 7am, it was already 67 degrees with 77% humidity. It’s going to be hot and sticky by afternoon.

Now, as you might remember, it’s Windfest weekend, and Windfest karma usually says that it can only be windy one day. But it looks like the weather is smiling upon Windfest this time. We’ll see 15-18 really early this morning, picking up to 17-21 in the midday from Stevenson east to The Dalles. Then we’ll see thunderclouds build and the wind will basically do whatever it wants for the rest of the evening. More than likely, we’ll see the wind pick up to the gusty mid-twenties early in the evening.

Tomorrow, we’ll see much stronger west wind, at 24-28 near Hood River early, picking up to 26-30 from Hood River all the way east to Arlington in the afternoon. Tuesday morning looks very windy too, fading a bit in the afternoon.

For the cherry farmers out there, I’ll talk about the chance of rain and thunderstorms today. If it happens, it’ll be between 5pm and 5am tomorrow morning, so at least it will be fairly cool out. And, models show around a tenth or two of an inch of rain, so not a huge amount. Gardeners, sorry, but you probably want to water today. That said, for the rest of you, it should be a pretty stellar sunrise tomorrow with leftover convective clouds. Sunrise is at 5:25am, in case you were wondering.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira