The Gorge is my Gym

The western Gorge got a pretty good drenching last night, and rain showers will continue this morning, ending by early afternoon. However, Hood River didn’t get much of a drenching, meaning the mountain bike trails are still dry. How can this be?!?!! With the passage of the cold front that’s making this rain, west wind will pick up to 21-24 from Rowena east to Arlington this afternoon.

High pressure builds in tonight, and that sets up up for east winds tomorrow, we’ll start off with light easterlies early, quickly building to 22-25 by midday from Rooster Rock to Stevenson, and then picking up into the 25-28 range in the afternoon. The rest of the Gorge, from The Tunnels out to The Dalles, will see east wind in the 5-10 range in the afternoon.

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Access to super cheap gear including Trew, Zeal, Sierra Designs, and many more.

The easterlies stick around on Thursday morning, blowing in the 22-25 range early, and then fading by early afternoon.

If you’re a dirt biker, there are a couple of things going on. There’s a KTM demo at Washougal on Wednesday. If you’d like to go, visit your favorite KTM dealer for an invite. Also, the Northwest Area Trails have been upgraded to fire level two from fire level three, meaning they are now open for riding. Middle Mountain, east and south areas remain closed, according to Columbia Gorge Offroad Association.

If you prefer bikes, reports are that the recent rain has made Falls Creek and Lewis River nearly perfect for riding. And don’t forget that this week is the last Post and Pint ride of the season, so make sure you’re at Dirty Fingers this Thursday evening.

Enter “Temira” as your referral code

First thing this morning I’d like to thank everyone who voted for Hood River band Sunderland in Charter’s Center Stage contest. You guys made our guys are the winners! Sunderland is a great band, but I think their win also says something very cool about our community here in the Gorge. We support our own. So thank you again to everyone for voting!

Moving on to events and recreation, we’re looking at rain in the forecast for both today and tomorrow. I’m looking at the radar image, and although the rain hasn’t hit yet, it’s definitely coming.

The Clymb: free membership.
Access to super cheap gear including Trew, Zeal, Sierra Designs, and many more.

With a big low pressure system off the coast, we’re not going to see much wind today. As that low crosses BC tomorrow, the wind will pick up to 17-20 through the whole Gorge, with the steadiest wind out east. On Wednesday, the wind switches around, picking up to 15-18 out of the east by midday near Stevenson and Rooster Rock with sunny skies.

If you want to get out and play this week, the weekly events are really winding down now. Free tai chi and the alternative ride, usually on Monday, are done for the season. There’s nothing going on tomorrow night, but on Wednesday, there’s the Kayak Shed’s shop paddle, moved to 5pm, sailboat races out of the Hood River Marina, and the public track workout at Stevenson High School at 6.

If you are looking forward to next weekend, it’s Hops Fest in Hood River, and it’s also Ocktoberfest in Leavenworth, which is where the Dirty Fingers Bike Repair annual customer appreciation campout takes place this year.

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 link below. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til August 2012, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors. If you don’t PayPal, you can send a donation to PO Box 841 in Hood River, 97031.