The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

I know, I know, it’s wet out there today, but c’mon guys. You’re from Oregon and Washington. You’re used to wet weather so get out and play today!

The river levels are up for the boaters this morning and the wind’s going to come up this afternoon, and Rick’s back from Hawaii (although I suspect not for long), so it must be summer!. First, the river levels. The Hood’s at 5.7 feet, the White Salmon was at 4.75 last night, the Wind was at 8.47 last night, and the Klickitat’s at 3030 cfs.

All this rain and talk of river levels going up makes me want to take up boating. Seriously. Anyone want to take me out and laugh at me while I learn how to roll? I don’t have any gear… yet… I will take you to dinner and bake you bread, brownies, cookies or cake in exchange.

Out on the Columbia this morning, the river’s flowing at 339,000 cfs at The Dalles, and I have no idea what that means, but it’s going to be very windy this afternoon. As of 5am, things were calm but as an upper low shifts across the state, it’s going to go crazy out at Arlington and Threemile starting midday… 30-35 or maybe even more. It should happen at Rufus and The Wall as well, just a little later. I suggest you start driving as soon as the clouds break up, because this system is moving fast.

If you want less wind, stay under the clouds in the western gorge for 16-19.

At this point, it’s looking like near-zero wind for the weekend, which is going to be awesome for the Mt. hood Cycling classic Crit in downtown Hood River on Sunday. Today is the time trial from The Dalles to Hood River. The rain is going to suck for the first groups and the headwind is going to be brutal for the last groups. Best of luck to everyone!

And now, a special announcement: “Want to greatly increase your chances of getting in WINDSURFING magazine? WindSurfing editor Josh Sampiero needs a crash pad from approximately June 15th – August 15 (give or take a few days cuz he’s going to the Pistol River Wave Bash.) If you’ve got a room to rent in a house in Hood River, White Salmon, or Bingen, give him a shout! He doesn’t bake cookies, but, you never know – you might get a chance to try out some slick new 2011 windsurfing gear. “

Josh’s email: Josh.Sampiero@bonniercorp.com

Have a great day today!

Temira

Good morning!

Take advantage of the break in the weather today, because the downpour returns tonight with another inch or so of rain falling in the Gorge. I drove to Portland yesterday, and it was very exciting to see the “possible landslides” light flashing, barely visible through the downpour. (I accidentally typed “barfly” at first instead of barely…)

All this rain is good news for whitewater boaters. The Hood’s at 6.7 feet, the Wind was at 8.6 feet yesterday, and the Klickitat’s at 3100 cfs. The White Salmon was in the upper 3’s yesterday, but I’m not sure what it’s at now.

Don’t forget that the White Salmon Riverfest starts tomorrow, with some cool lectures on the White Salmon River, a salmon bake, and camping, all for just $10. There are more open spots for those $15 locals-only raft trips on Saturday, so give Wet Planet a call, and they can give you the details. Three other rafting companies have kicked in boats including All-Star, All Adventures and um… I forgot the third because I was talking and driving while Jaco was telling me that list. Anyway, if you live in eastern Skamania or western Klickitat, you’re eligible to go on that trip, and it should be super-rad with all the water in the rivers right now.

Speaking of lots of water, Wet Planet is running a trip on the Wind River on Sunday…

Boating is the best call today, because we’re not going to see anything more than 10-15 mph on the Columbia. Tomorrow looks better, because an upper low crossing the state will give you a rare opportunity to sail east winds in the morning and west winds in the afternoon. Catch some 20-25 easterlies early, and then head to the desert for west winds in the 30+ range. It’s going to be gusty, and possibly dowpouringly rainy, but it still looks like lots of fun!

At this point, the weekend is looking a bit wet and not very windy, with upper teens at best tomorrow afternoon, but that could change. And hey, don’t forget about the Mt. Hood cycling classic Crit in downtown Hood River on Sunday! If you’d like to volunteer for the bike race, Julie would love to have you. Email volunteer@mthoodcyclingclassic.com to sign up.

In other news, the Post and Pint is cancelled tonight due to sloppy conditions in Post Canyon. Dirty Fingers happy hour is still on.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira