The Gorge is my Gym

This week’s forecast is brought to you by Crossfit Hood River and their upcoming standup paddle series taught by the SUP fitness queen, Nikki Greg. Now, you’re probably wondering why Crossfit (a gym, kinda) is sponsoring a report related to a website called ‘The Gorge is my gym’. Well, Crossfit will kick you a** into shape faster than anything else (you basically have a personal coach), leaving you more ready to tackle Mother Nature’s gym. Nikki’s SUP series will get you SUP’ers into great shape too. The clinic runs 7/18,7/25,8/8,8/15 and is $155 for the series. You can sign up by calling 541-490-0939. And yes, we’re giving something away on the email list, but we’re not sure what yet. Stay tuned…

We’ve got a beautiful sunny weekend on tap with some cool events going on, so even if you’re not a Wind Johnnie, there’s something going on for you.

Although the models aren’t showing much wind today, there’s a .09 gradient from Portland to The Dalles and it’s blowing 10-15 on the river. I don’t see the gradient falling, so we’ll see 15-18 from Stevenson to Mosier this morning, picking up to 17-20 this afternoon.

The Clymb: free membership.
Access to super cheap gear including Trew, Zeal, Sierra Designs, and many more.
The wind looks a little stronger tomorrow as a system approaches the coast. We’ll still start off with 10-15, but by midday, we should have 19-22 from Stevenson down to Hood River. If you usually launch from the Event Site, be aware that it’s closed this weekend for the Tenacity Games. Speaking of the Tenacity Games, you know how the wind always dies for Windfest? Well, it always blows for Kiteboard 4 Cancer. That means Mother Nature likes this event, and you should too. If you’re not participating and you’d like to donate, you can do so here.

Monday looks windier, as clouds move into Portland overnight. We’ll have westerlies near Hood River in the 21-24 range in the morning, probably shifting east in the afternoon. Plan on cooler weather next week with west winds in the 20ish range for the extended period.

If you’re down at the Waterfront Park or Event Site in Hood River today, the tents and sights are the Tenacity Games. There’s music and food and kiteboarding and SUP competitions to watch, so come check it out. Tomorrow brings more kiteboarding and a kayaking race on the White Salmon, followed by the White Salmon Riverfest and Symposium, with a $25 community raft trip. Call Wet Planet today to register for that.

Coming up Monday after work, there’s free Tai Chi at Wilson Park in Hood River at 5:30, and there’s the casual Alternative Ride leaving Mountain View Cycles at 6:15.

Finally, word on the street is that Falls Creek is open from top to bottom. I’m checking it out today.

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 sad-looking link below. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til June 2012, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors.

This week’s forecast is brought to you by the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River, located
at 215 Cascade Street. Sure, it’s fun to use the Gorge as your gym, exercising your body every day, but how long has it been since you attended a cultural event? A play? A show? An indie film?
Well, Columbia Center for the Arts has you covered. Coming up on July 19th, Oregon author Jon Bell will be at CCA discussing his book ‘On Mount Hood: A biography of Oregon’s Perilous Peak.’ Jon was on OPB a couple of weeks ago, and he’s pretty engaging, so this should be a great talk. On July 20th, ‘Bicycle Dreams’ plays on the big screen at CCA… it’s a documentary about the Race Across America. Definitely a must see, and a bargain at $5. Finally, on the 27th, there’s another great film, ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’. And those are only the highlighted events – you can check the website for more. And, if you want to support art in the Gorge, become a supporting member. On the email list, We’re giving away twopairs of tickets to Jesus Christ Superstar, playing on July 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16. Tickets are only $15 if you’re not one of the lucky winners.

Now, your forecast:

First off, we’re looking for Paco’s gear. Paco’s fine, but his gear went missing at Rowena last night. It’s a Cascade board and 3.3 Ezzy sail. $100 reward for return.

Yesterday was a huge west wind day on the Columbia, with gusts around 50 miles per hour at Rowena, Doug’s, Maryhill and Arlington. My friends and I were at Arlington on 3.2’s. We gave it an A (not an A+, mind you, but a solid A) Today doesn’t look as windy, but we’ll still have some wind. It’s going to blow 21-24 early from Hood River to Mosier, picking up at Stevenson, Maryhill and Arlington into the 23-26 range early afternoon as a front pushes across the Cascades.

The Clymb: free membership.
Access to super cheap gear including Trew, Zeal, Sierra Designs, and many more.
Tomorrow looks lighter, with a start in the 5-10 range, building to 13-15 late in the day. Sunday starts off light too, building to 17-20 in the afternoon. The wind will be strongest from Hood River to Stevenson all day Saturday and Sunday morning, filling in further east as yet another weak system pushes through on Sunday afternoon.

Today marks the start of the Tenacity games, a three-day sporting event benefiting cancer research and camps for survivors. You can make a donation at the Tenacity Games website. Why? Because cancer touches all of us. Because it took windsurfing and snowboarding away from a good friend of mine for the last 5 years of his life. Because it’s probably done the same or worse to friends of yours. So make a donation.

Today and tomorrow there are standup paddle races, and Saturday and Sunday are kiteboarding events. Sunday is Kayak for Cancer, running the White Salmon below Condit Dam and crossing the Columbia to finish at Hood River’s Event Site. There are also bands and other events going on at the Waterfront Park and Event Site, so be sure to swing by and check it out.

Coming up this evening at the Hood River Inn, there’s a fundraiser featuring the Ultronz for Peg Lalor, the Gorge Games Goddess. Peg was involved in a bad bike wreck last year, which has left her needing continual rehab and assistance. Even after she is released to the greater world, her need for therapy will continue, and the bills will mount. (thanks to everyone who is against universal health care with reasonable coverage and out-of-pocket expenses). All of you, please show up and make a donation. Doors open at 7pm.

This evening is also the Tenacity Games Hoop and Heal hula-hoop party at the British Pub. That starts at 8pm.

Coming up Sunday, it’s the White Salmon Riverfest and Symposium. If you live in Klickitat or Skamania county, or in Hood River, you can sign up for a whitewater rafting trip for just $25. Give Wet Planet a call for more details. Along with the raft trip, there are kayak races, movies, and a bbq, along with more information about the removal of Condit dam happening this fall.

And speaking of the White Salmon, it’s at 3 ¾ feet, the Hood’s at 4.1 feet, and the Klickitat’s at 2350 cfs.

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 sad-looking link below. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til June 2012, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors.