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. Save yourself a trip to REI, and shop local for cool gear from Thermarest (sleep on something comfortable), Mountain Hardware (in something well designed), and MSR (a good stove will keep you well fed). Not only does 2nd Wind have the gear, they have employees who can help you make an educated decision about what gear is best for you. Swing by today and check it out (and ask what this week’s prize will be!)…
If it’s still really early, you’re a woman, and you’re a mountain biker (I just eliminated most of you, didn’t I?), head to China Gorge and join the Disco Divas for a ride at Surveyor’s. 8am is the meetup time.
If it’s too late for that, get ready for windsurfing and kiting.
The marine clouds are a little deeper this morning and the gradient is a lot stronger. At 5am, it was .15 from Portland to The Dalles, and the wind was blowing in the low twenties near Hood River. We’ll see 25-29 by midday at the Hatchery with a little less wind at the Sandbar, and the wind should hold all day, picking up at Doug’s in the afternoon. Models suggest the wind will fill in out east later, so there’s also a chance of 23-27 at Maryhill and Arlington.
Coming up Saturday, a low pressure trough shifts east, giving us a classic gorge setup. We’ll have high pressure off the coast, low pressure in the desert, and deep marine clouds over Portland. Dawn patrol in the mid to upper twenties near Hood River looks pretty likely for Saturday, with winds holding all day from Hood River eastward. Sunday looks windy too, probably a carbon copy of Saturday. At this point, it looks like the wind will keep blowing at least through the beginning of next week. Are you sore just thinking about it?
If you want coast action this weekend, it looks like Pistol or nothing, as the north and central coast beaches suffer from the influence of the low pressure trough.
Boaters, the Klickitat’s getting a little boney… it’s right around 1000 cfs, and the Hood River’s right at 2 ¼ feet. If you’d like to go rafting, Wet Planet is now running the Class IV upper stretch of the river, ending with Husum Falls and Rattlesnake. It’s one wild ride, so go check it out! Even you spoiled adrenaline junkies will have a good time. I suggest you request Drew as your guide, because a) he’s my friend, b) he’s been guiding for a loooooong time, and c) he’s a super-personable conversationalist while he’s giving you the tour of the river.
Coming up this weekend is the Gorge Cup 2-day windsurfing race, where all types of gear are welcome – vmgevents.com for more information – and the final Big Winds SUP race of the season – www.bigwinds.com/sup – at the Event Site on Sunday.
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 fish tacos and tall boys for 5 people, donated by the Sandbar Cafe. Thank you for using this report, and thank you for your support!
