The Gorge is my Gym

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Good morning,

We have more marine clouds today, and they’re past Hood River, although I can see a few breaks out my window, so the strongest wind will shift east. Well, that’s the theory, anyway, but with the gradients at .15 (pdx-dalles) and .11 (dalles-pasco), it’s blowing in the mid-twenties under the clouds too. I bet Mosier is ripping right now.

From Stevenson to Hood River we’ll have low to mid twenties today, but Mosier to Arlington will build to the 30-35 range by early afternoon with higher gusts. We may see a weak front drop through and mess with wind quality/strength at some point today, so be prepared for a lull followed by a bump. FYI, Doug’s Beach will be closed this morning, possibly even all day for installation of a vault toilet (you know, like at the Hatch) so pick somewhere else to sail.

West wind continues tomorrow as high pressure off the coast combines with low pressure moving to the east for 13-16 in the western Gorge and 22-25 east of Hood River. Winds back off on Thursday as temperatures equalize across the Cascades. We’ll see westerlies in the 10-15 range, possibly even lighter.

In other news, if the wind backs off enough, tonight is the free ladies standup paddle night through Big Winds. Check their website around 4:30 to see if it’s happening (most likely not). Tomorrow night is the ladies only Post and Pinot ride brought to you by Naked Winery and Dirty Fingers. All women are welcome for this non-competitive ride meeting at Dirty Fingers Bike Repair at 5:30, followed by free and non-demeaning mechanical clinics and free, buzz-inducing wine.

In trail news, Dog River is now clear of downed trees although it’s probably too muddy to ride today. Your best bet for mountain biking is Syncline. And speaking of mountain biking, you can mark your calendar now for the Post Canyon work party on June 18th to complete the Mobius trail, which will give you cross-country riders another climbing trail option.

Finally, this evening at Waucoma Club, Rob Bart and Lorri Epstein will be discussing their experiences in Kamchtka, Russia — kayaking wild, remote rivers and studying wild salmon populations — and how lessons learned in these remote, wild rivers can be applied to restoring our own Columbia River. Slides and some video. And… check out the Columbia Center for the Arts website. They’re celebrating 5 years of existence, and all classes and events are free this month (but donations are always encouraged).

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 April 2012, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors.

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

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Good morning,

The thunderstorms showed up yesterday and put on a show, ruining the wind, but giving us a rainfall record for the day with just about an inch of rain in Hood River. As the low pressure system moved east overnight, that ended the thunderstorm risk, but it set up a big west wind day. The low clouds are west of Hood River this morning, so we’ll see 21-23 from Mosier to The Dalles this morning, picking up to 28-30+ from the Hatchery to Doug’s by midday, probably filling in at Maryhill and Arlington this afternoon.

Interestingly, it’s 67 degrees at Hood River Weather’s House, meaning the marine air hasn’t made it to Hood River. It’s probably made it to just where the little fluffy low clouds are hanging out near Home Valley. So much for cooling off my house by opening the windows…

Tomorrow looks similar to today wind-wise, but the temp is going to drop as the marine air makes it further east. We’ll see 22-24 early from Mosier to The Dalles, picking up to 30-35 from Rowena east in the afternoon. If you’ve been waiting for a big west wind day out at Arlington and Roosevelt, tomorrow is your day As always, if you want less wind, try Stevenson and Home Valley, under the clouds, where we’ll have 16-19 today and tomorrow.

If you’re looking for other stuff to do, Columbia Center for the Arts plays Journey from Zanskar this evening. It’s a pretty cool story, and well worth checking out. Coming up tomorrow, a couple of locals give a talk at the Waucoma Club about kayaking and river restoration in Kamchatcka, Russia.

And finally, tomorrow, weather permitting, is the ladies standup paddle club, free at the event site (probably not happening due to wind) and Wednesday is the Post and Pinot, a ladies only mountain bike ride out of dirty fingers (double check with DF due to muddy trail conditions).

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 April 2012, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors.