The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning Gorge sports fanatics!

West winds keep up the streak today. Early gradients were at .13 and winds were in the low twenties in the corridor. Give the desert an hour or two to warm up, and then head down to the Hatch or the Spit for 25-29. If you’re at work, catch the mid-twenties evening session at Doug’s or Mosier.

Tomorrow, break out the Aquanet or Elmer’s glue for your hair, because you’re going to need it. A sub-1000 mb upper level low crosses southern Washington, cranking up Gorge gradients. Clouds in Portland combine with desert sunshine for dawn patrol in the twenties building to midday patrol in the mid-30s. I think we’ll see clouds in the Corridor, so it’s probably Mosier, Doug’s or Arlington. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see 35-40 at Doug’s tomorrow (and since that’s the only time Doug’s gets good, you might just see me there… although… The Wall if the direction is right… too bad I have to be back in HR at 4pm)

Think about a desert campout, cuz that upper low should be in the desert by Friday morning, setting up a huge day at Maryhill and the eastern desert. Dawn patrol at Arlington should be in the 30ish range, building to the upper 30s later. Don’t forget your smallest kite or tiniest sail. And if you’re desperate, track me down on twitter – I’m GorgeReport – cuz I’ve got 5 Hot Sails under 3.5 for your demo pleasure.

Oh darn… I cleared my schedule for Friday. I’m going to have to windsurf all day. Poor me.

And once again, don’t forget that this weekend is Kiteboard and Standup for Cancer. Head to their website at KB4C.org and kick down. If everyone gives just $5, we’ll be well on the way to their goal of 100 grand. Let me give you my short list of local windsurfers who’ve died because of cancer, to convince you to kick down: Kevin Young, Jeremy Flanagan, Marty Cohen. Now, go donate.

Finally, a shameless sponsor thank you to Chinook, for their bomber made-in-the USA, based in Cascade Locks, booms and bases that I can’t seem to break. Yay! Buy local. Buy Chinook.

Whatever you do today, have an awesome day!

Good morning Gorge sports fanatics!

Today is the lightest wind day of the next four as the high pressure ridge begins breaking down. Morning gradients stood at .13 and winds were in the low twenties at the Hatche. We’l see 23-26 early, holding all day except for the midday lull, and picking up from Doug’s out to Arlington as a shortwave approaches late.

That shortwave peels off the offshore low and slides east tomorrow morning, kicking up winds a notch. We’ll have 17-19 in the morning, building to 22-25 by midday and climbing up into 24-28 from Doug’s eastward tomorrow evening.

The pesky offshore low slides inland Thursday and Friday, ramping up Gorge winds into the semi-nuclear range. A chance of showers in Portland combines with sunshine in the desert for a classic Gorge setup.

Don’t forget that Kiteboarding for Cancer takes place this weekend. Last year they raised 90 grand for cancer research and awareness. Help them break the 100,000 dollar barrier this year by donating at KB4C.org.

In other news, Mountain View cycles hosts a fr\ee bike maintenance clinic tonight at 6:30. Give them a call to RSVP, or if you’re commitment-shy, just show up. You’ll learn how to change a tire, maintain your driveline, and fix those pesky brakes.

And finally, a shoutout to Chris at the Hood River County Sheriff’s office. It was very nice meeting you yesterday, and I enjoyed our conversation about my slow driving very much!

Whatever you do today, have an awesome day!