The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

The gradient and west wind is a little less this morning than it’s been, but it’s still blowing in the mid teens at the Hatchery. The gradient is at .08, and that should hold today for westerlies in the 17-22 range from Viento down to Hood River, filling in at Mosier midday and Lyle to Doug’s in the afternoon.

Tomorrow morning brings more wind as an approaching cold front sends marine clouds into the western half of the state. Westerlies should be in the 17-21 range near Hood River first thing in the morning, becoming gusty midday, and filling in at Arlington and Stevenson in the 24-28 range later. There is a decent chance of 30+ at the Wall and Arlington late. Just keep an eye on the sensors at iwindsurf or
Windonthewater and be prepared with a full tank of gas and a cooler of snacks!
As the front swings across the state Friday night, clouds return to Portland and high temperatures fall into the 70’s. That will set up a solid gradient across the Cascades Saturday morning, leading to westerlies in the mid twenties all day. Sunday’s still a long ways off, but it looks windy too.

Coming up tonight, it’s Post and Pint night at Dirty Fingers Bike Repair. Join a big group of mountain bikers for a lap around Post Canyon. If you’re wondering about the conditions, it’s hard, fast and dusty, with a few areas of ball bearings, but mostly just good riding.

There is a ton of stuff going on the next few days, so check the events calendar at thegorgeismygym.com for the 411. However, make sure you don’t miss the 2nd Wind and IPS rail jam, complete with snow from Timberline, on 4th Street in Hood River starting at 7pm on First Friday. And if you have kids, head to Skibowl on Saturday for Jr. Forest Ranger day with Smokey the Bear!

That’s it for today. Have a great day today!.

Good morning!

This week’s forecast is brought to you by 2nd Wind, the best place in the Gorge to pick up camping and hiking gear! Yep. 2nd Wind has the goods to get you out of the city and into the backwoods. Speaking of backwoods, I was boating the White Salmon yesterday, and a man with an axe walked out of the woods and up to the bank while we were boating by. Anyway, let me repeat: 2nd Wind has an excellent selection of quality camping gear upstairs in the loft. You can’t see it from downstairs, but it’s there! 2nd Wind has competitive prices, and the super-rad staff will set you up with the right gear for whatever sport you’re doing. Swing by today and check it out! 2nd Wind has donated a cool little hiking prize package for this week, so get in there and buy some stuff and support the shop!

At 5am it was already windy in the central Gorge, so we’re still 100% for wind this month. The early gradient was at .08, there were clouds in the hole, and the wind was blowing in the upper teens near Hood River, so we’ll see 19-23 near Hood River this morning, filling in at Stevenson and Doug’s this afternoon..

The west winds keep blowing tomorrow for five for five in August. We’ll probably see a light start in the 10-15 range tomorrow, but by mid-afternoon, the westerlies pick up into the 17-20 range from Hood River out to Doug’s.

Friday brings another light start, but an approaching cold front in the afternoon will cause the wind to pick up. Models are not agreeing on wind strength yet, but mid-twenties by late in the day seems like a pretty safe call. If the cold front slides over the Cascades Friday night as predicted, Saturday could end up being a pretty windy day in the Gorge. So, weekend warriors, get ready for another windy weekend!

Boaters, the White Salmon’s just below 2 ¼ feet and the Klickitat’s at 950 cfs. If you’d like to boat with a cool crew of people, join the Kayak Shed’s shop paddle tonight, meeting at the Husum put-in at 5:30. There’s a group running the lower and a group running the middle, so it’s fun for whitewater boaters of all levels!

Coming up later this week, it’s First Friday in Hood River. Also starting on Friday is the Trout Lake fair, continuing through Sunday. On Saturday, it’s junior forest ranger day at Skibowl, with an appearance by Smokey the Bear and lots of free kids’ activities. Finally, there’s the OBRA championships road bike race in Trout Lake this weekend.

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 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. This week it’s some cool camping gear from 2nd Wind Sports. Thank you for using this report, and thank you for your support!

1 – Local staff – Every one at the shop has lived in the Northwest long enough to know all the secrets 😀 – we know where the best hikes, swimming holes and the most likely places to get wind are…although that is really due to Temira…

2 – Sorry gotta throw it out there! – Competitive prices! We don’t just like to sell people gear, we like to sell people the right gear at the right price.

3 – Variety! It’s everywhere! From our awesome staff to our awesome gear, 2nd Wind has something for everyone.

4 – We consign quality used gear! Whether you are looking to sell or buy, 2nd Wind offers consignment gear for all ability levels.

5 – We throw great parties – Next up, Rail Jam on 4th Street and the Premier of A Work in Progress!

6 – Did you know we have camping gear?! – We’re one of the only shops in the Gorge that carries great camping basics from Thermarest, Mountain Hardwear and MSR!

7 – Coolest couches and the best collection of ski, snowboard and windsport movies in town! Stop by and hang out!

I pulled out the paper and scissors yesterday and did some prize drawings. Congratulations to Don K., Mark P., Ali R., Jeff B., and Bruce H. for winning a fish taco and tall boy dinner combo from the Sandbar Café at the Event Site. Congratulations to Daniel A. for winning a Da Kine Nexus Harness from the Gorge Surf Shop. And, congrats to John S. and Jane D. for winning sail repair gift certificates from Overnight Sail Repair at 13 Oak Street (the other winners were associated with other sail repair shops, strangely enough).