The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

First off, if you’re hungry this morning, Sophie’s is now offering brunch from 9-2. Sophie’s is yummy, so I’m hoping the breakfast is going to be as yummy as dinner. =) That was not advertising. This is: Thanks to Cascade Acupuncture Center for sponsoring the report this week. Stop by for your free tour and Chinese Medicine Pulse Diagnosis.

I hope you windsurfers and kiters took advantage of yesterday’s almost rest day, because we’re headed into a long string of windy days. Clouds over Hood River this morning aren’t a problem, because the desert is going to clear and the gradients are building. Portland to The Dalles was at 12 100th this morning, with another 5 out east. As the desert warms, winds east of the cloud line slowly build into the 24-28 range. Head to Maryhill and Arlington mid-afternoon for the strongest wind, and if you’re headed to Maryhill, remember it’s experts only right now due to super fast current and lots of fishing nets.

Tomorrow looks like a repeat of today, with early morning wind from Mosier to Arlington in the low twenties, building to the 25-29 range in the afternoon. Strongest wind tomorrow afternoon will likely be from Doug’s to Maryhill.

The early call for Monday is dawn Patrol near Hood River, and wind in the upper twenties by midday, and it’s looking like the rest of next week will be windy too!

The unofficial White Salmon off-road half-marathon is on for today. Meet at Everybody’s brewing at 9am to participate. This is a mostly unsupported, just-for-fun run with friends, so no lawsuits are allowed. I believe there’s a post-race get together at Everybody’s after the running is done.

Mountain bikers, I had reports of “as perfect as it gets” from Post Canyon yesterday, so it’s got to be near-perfect again today. If you have time to ride somewhere, anywhere, then do it!

Boaters, the White Salmon’s at 3.5 feet and the Klickitat’s at a really fun 2030 cfs. If you’re a dad and you want to go rafting, Wet Planet is offering free trips for dads this weekend. Also, if you’re a WP Facebook friend, you get 15% off trips this weekend in celebration of the solstice.

There’s also an email version of this forecast. To subscribe and get the daily email, along with a shot at winning cool prizes from the sponsors, click on the donate button below for a suggested donation of $10.

Make it a great day today!

Temira

Good morning!

First off, congratulations to Susan L., for winning an acupuncture treatment package from Cascade Acupuncture Center! And many thanks to C.A.C. for supporting this forecast by donating two of these packages for giveaways. I’ll draw another name out of the hat next week for people subscribed to the email version of this forecast. To subscribe, just click on the donate button below for a suggested donation of $10.

One last thing about CAC – they offer a sliding scale and financing options to help you get your injuries healed and your body balanced. 541-387-Heal is their number.

Now… on to the forecast…

A low pressure trough across the Northwest keeps Gorge winds pretty light today. Our best chance for any windsurfing or kiting is late this afternoon, when we’ll see some light west winds in the 13-16 range.

An upper low slides across the Northwest tonight, setting up a cloudy day in the western Gorge with a chance of sprinkles tomorrow. It looks like the desert will stay sunny, so it’s going to be a good, windy start to the weekend. The morning starts out with 20-24, and afternoon winds build into the 27-31 range. Strongest, steadiest wind will be east of the clouds, likely at Maryhill and Arlington.

If you’re headed to Maryhill, be aware that the current is ripping and there are lots of fishing nets along the beach. It’s expert-only conditions right now. I’m not really good at guessing current speed, but I bet it 4-6 knots out there right now. That doesn’t make for great swell, but it’s pretty exciting.

Sunday looks windy too, as high pressure rebuilds at the coast and low pressure hangs in the desert. It’s going to start off in the low twenties and build into the upper twenties east of the clouds. As always, if you want less wind, stay under the clouds for 14-18 or so.

The early forecast discussions for next week suggest more wind. Yippee! Enjoy the rest day today… if you dare! (I’m going boating, so no rest day for me… apparently I’ve been bad and I don’t get to rest! 😉 )

If you were looking forward to The Bridge of the Gods Kiteboarding festival, it’s been postponed until August 6th/7th due to the cold, wet Junuary weather.

Boaters, the White Salmon’s right around 3.75 feet, the Klickitat’s at 2140 cfs, and the Hood River’s at 4.2 feet. If you want to raft the White Salmon this weekend, friend Wet Planet on Facebook and get 15% off trips this Saturday for solstice weekend celebration! 15% off is a pretty good deal, as it’s around $60 for a half-day trip on the White Salmon… Make it a two-sport day!

Whatever you do today, have an awesome day!

Temira