The sky is cloudy this morning, and thunderstorms are still peppering the region. That’s not, of course, an ideal setup for wind through the Gorge, but the Gorge doesn’t care about ideal. The Gorge blows when it wants to blow, and we just go along for the ride. We have low pressure in the desert today with marine clouds to the west and moderate high pressure well offshore. I’ve seen better, but today’s setup is good enough to get you on the water. Continued after the chart.
| Your favorite beach | Dawn Patrol |
9am- 11:30a |
11:30a- 3pm |
3pm- dusk |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooster’s Rocks | carry a | lightning rod |
for your | unclothed bod |
|
| Steven’s Locks | 5-10 | 10-15 | 15-18 | 18-23 | |
| Hatchery/White Salmon Sandbar (minus a few for Hood River) | 20-23 | 20-23 | 24-28 | 22-25 | |
| Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena | 20-23 | 23-26 | 26-30+ | 26-30+ | |
| Rufus, etc. | 20-23 | 23-26 | 26-30+ | 26-30+ | |
| Roosevelt, etc. | 20-23 | 20-23 | 23-26 | 26-30+ | |
|
|||||
Gorge Wind forecast, continued…
At 7am (I slept in, sorry), we had gradients of .15 from pdx-dls and .04 from dls-psc with 20-something north to south. River water temp, before I forget, is 63 degrees. Despite the clouds and storms, we’re already seeing low twenties from Swell to Arlington.
The wind will build quickly today, hitting 26-30 from Lyle to Rufus by noon or so. Stevenson is a big maybe today as it sits in the clouds. Swell and Hood River are likely going to be gusty (I see a little marine cloud fluff outside my window), so call them gusty 24-28 during the peak of the wind. Lyle to Rufus could hit 30+, and Arlington will join with 26-30 late in the afternoon. If the models are correct, today’s strongest wind will happen between 1pm and 6pm. Unless you see massive thunderstorms building, you can probably take the risk of driving pre-emptively.
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Tomorrow sees another low pressure system move through. That inland low combines with a low pressure trough along the coast and weak high pressure way offshore for a middling setup. That’ll give us gusty 13-16 early and gusty 21-24 in the afternoon.
We may still see a little atmospheric movement on Wednesday for some unsteadiness in the wind, but things should be balancing out by afternoon as high pressure solidifies in the Pacific. Expect 10-13 early and relatively steady 22-25 in the afternoon.
It looks like the wind will back off later in the week in the Gorge and pick up on the coast, so keep an eye on Thursday through Saturday at the ocean beaches.
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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast
Rest in peace, Lisa Moulding.
Random Morning Thoughts
Money’s been on my mind a lot lately as I take classes at PSU and spend more on gas driving to Portland. I’ve always been a saver, more so than I needed to be, because I don’t have anyone backing me up if money gets tight. In the past, spending has caused me anxiety. I made do with whatever gear, clothes, food or housing I could get for a good price.
In the last couple of years, I’ve been spending more freely. Wisely, but freely. And why? Because it’s nice to buy ourselves nice things. I deserve a really nice bike, the best bike shorts and shoes, and a helmet that makes me grin every time I wear it (if you’ve seen my helmet, you know what I’m talking about – that thing’s AWESOME!). And you too deserve a nice kite, bike, sail, helmet, yoga mat, garden tool, or a new fruit tree.
I’m not saying any of us should spend like crazy and consume endlessly. I’m saying that when we’ve spent a long time thinking about a purchase, when we’re sure it’s what we really, really want, it’s OK to make that purchase. We don’t have to settle for the best deal. We deserve to have the things we really want. Be nice to yourself, and give yourself permission once in a while to spend.
What really got me thinking about this is Anson’s Bike Buddies – I was at the board meeting last night, and they were saying it takes an average of $25 to fix up a bike and get it to a kid. $25. That’s nothing. We spend 100 times that on our bikes. So, let’s be generous with ourselves and with our local charities. And that’ll make everyone in our community happier.
Gorge Weather Forecast
It’s cloudy out there this morning with lots of scattered thunderstorms moving across the Northwest. Most of the excitement is over the Willamette Valley this morning, and most of it was near The Dalles last night. Sorry, Hood River. No thunder for you. Expect the clouds to decrease as the day goes on, leaving us with some sun breaks. Temps will be in the upper 50’s early and the upper 60’s this afternoon (yes, almost 20 degrees cooler than yesterday). Strong wind, 5% chance of rainbows.
Tomorrow looks mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers or thunder as another weather dealie moves through. Temps will be in the mid 50’s early and the upper 60’s in the afternoon. Moderate wind. 2% chance of rainbows. Wednesday looks very similar to Tuesday, but a few degrees warmer.
White Sprinter Van of the Day
Road and Mountain Biking
There was just enough rain at my house last night to wet the pavement, and that’s not going to be enough to change conditions in Post Canyon. The big question is the 44 Road: a set of strong t-storms passed just east of Hood River last night. Did they dampen down the dust up there? I’m not sure, but there’s a decent chance of that. In road biking news, forget about today, unless you like riding in the wind. The next two mornings look better, and if you are planning a long ride, the end of the week looks glassy.
The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear.
Temira approves. Click to join.
I love road biking, and if you’re reading this, you do too. The Mt. Adams Country Bike Tour is the best. You’ll ride beautiful, remote, quiet, traffic-free roads. And you’ll do it with support, a nice touch for 50+ mile loops through the woods or farm country. Combine the loops to make a century route that gets most of the climbing done early. Get signed up before the 1st of June, and it’s only $55. There’s also a short 11-mile Family Fun Ride. All proceeds support the Trout Lake schools, grange, and fire department.
Upcoming Events
Monday’s all about the alternative sports: There’s Tai Chi at the Mt. Hood Town Hall at 1pm, and there are two free yoga classes at 6:30pm, one at Yoga Samadhi and one at the Mt. Hood Town Hall. There’s also Aikido at Trinity Natural Medicine in Hood River at 6pm. Tomorrow’s sportier: there’s pickup touch rugby at the Hood River Marina at 5:30 and Triathlon practice at Mayer Park in Rowena at 6pm. Tomorrow night at 6:30 there’s meditation and Random Evening Thoughts with the monks of Pacific Hermitage at Yoga Samadhi. I think this is fun. If you meditate, come check it out. I promise you’ll be pleased you joined this one.
Coming up this weekend, there’s a Goge Cup windsurfing race on Saturday. There’s a standup paddle race in Pine Hollow on Saturday, and the Pine Hollow Triathlon is Sunday. Crossfit Hood River has their anniversary party on Saturday too. There’s a garden party at the Pacific Hermitage in White Salmon on Saturday (I promise this will be fun – weeding, philosophizing with some really cool monks, socializing with some very cool people, drinking tea, and picking up some good karma), and Anson’s Bike Buddies is having a bike drive in The Dalles on Saturday.
Registration is now open for the summer Gorge Ultimate Frisbee league. It’s $40 for the summer. Click through to get signed up.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
