First off, don’t forget that iWind/iKite has a free trial this weekend, and that Kiteboarding for Cancer has reserved the Event Site for the entire weekend. Next, yesterday was quite a lovely day on the river, I thought. Although there were only a few rainbows, there were several unicorns spotted by various watersports enthusiasts. Being that there were unicorns, the day qualifies for an A rating. Today carries the potential for quite a bit of wind as well, but the deep marine clouds and an approaching shortwave this afternoon will complicated the picture. That said, here are your morning gradients (you’ve been holding your breath for those, I know!): .07 (pdx-dls), .04 (dls-psc), and .30 (eph-dls). Continued after the chart.
| Your favorite beach | Dawn Patrol |
9am- 11:30a |
11:30a- 3pm |
3pm- dusk |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooster Rock | Know why | it’s | called | Rooster Rock? |
|
| Steven’s Locks | 10-13 | 10-13 | 10-13 | 13-16 | |
| Hatchery/White Salmon Sandbar (minus a few for Hood River) | 17-20 | 17-20 | 20-23 | 20-23 | |
| Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena | 14-17 | 17-20 | 23-26+ | 25-29 | |
| Rufus, etc. | 14-17 | 17-20 | 23-26+ | 25-29 | |
| Roosevelt, etc. | 10-13 | 15-18 | 20-23 | 25-29 | |
|
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Gorge Wind Forecast, continued…
Those gradients are enough for 14-17 from Swell to Rufus right now with 10-13 further west and further east. With clouds this far in, you can expect 17-20 or so by mid-morning from Viento to Rufus, with the wind slowly building to 25-29 this afternoon from Mosier to Arlington. Hood River, under the clouds at 7:30am, will see mid to upper teens unless the clouds burn off. If the sky turns blue, expect gusty 23-26 or a little more from Swell to Hood River too. Now, that afternoon shortwave… as it approaches, likely mid-afternoon, we’ll see the wind drop and get gusty everywhere but Stevenson (which may not ever get windy with this cloud coverage), Avery, and Arlington. So, get on the water earlier, rather than later.
Tomorrow sees a trough of low pressure at the coast, and that will knock down our gradients. Expect 5-10 in the morning, slowly building to 15-18 this afternoon, likely strongest from Hood River to The Dalles. Swell’s a maybe tomorrow depending on the clouds.
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That low pressure trough moves east on Monday, starting us off with 10-13 and finishing up with 23-26. You’ll probably find the strongest, steadiest wind from Hood River to Rufus on Monday. High pressure starts rebuilding off the coast on Tuesday, setting us up for a windy week in the Gorge.
Jones & Sauvie’s beta test forecast. Jones today, 7-10. Jones tomorrow, 10-13. Jones Monday, 13-16. Sauvie’s today, light and variable (LTV). Sauvie’s tomorrow, 7-10. Sauvie’s Monday, 7-10.
Coast forecast (north/central/south). Today: S 15-20/S 15-20/LTS, SW swell 3′ @ 16 seconds. Tomorrow: LT W everywhere, SW 3′ @ 15. Monday: LTN/LTN/N 5-10, W 3′ @ 9.
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Mt. Hood Snow Forecast
Nothing to say here today.
Random Morning Thoughts
I grew up here in the Pacific Northwest, and that means I have a certain expectation of weather. It’s going to be cold, gray, and wet all winter, and it’s going to be sunny, warm and dry all summer. Spring will be full of rainbows and fall will be long, dry and cool.
I’ve found that leads to a certain amount of anxiety during summer. I feel like I have to make the most of every sunny day, because the sunny days only last for a few months. But it’s been hot as f**k this summer so far, and I’m finding myself anxious about this lovely cloudy day; I feel like I have to go jump on my bike and get in a long ride because it’s cool enough. I’m classically conditioned to chase the good weather when it’s available! But at least I know what’s coming with the weather, and so do you. We don’t know, long-term, what’s coming with the wind.
That lack of future knowledge is powerful stuff. Wind is like a slot machine: it provides Intermittent Rewards (capitalized because I’m referring to research on the subject). We chase it all the time, and we only get on the water some of the time.
That kind of infrequent payoff is a setup for addiction. Or if not addiction, at least operant conditioning to continue chasing and chasing and chasing. So watch yourself closely: are you chasing the wind because you really want to today, or are you chasing it because something inside you is driving you to chase it for that maybe-maybe-not big payoff? Although it’s going to be windy today, do you really want to get on the water, or would you be more satisfied lying in your hammock with a good book by B. F. Skinner?
Gorge Weather Forecast
You might have noticed something different out there this morning. Perhaps many things. The sky is not blue, the air is not sweltering, and the humidity level is not off the charts. It’s … July-uary! Expect temps in the mid 60’s the morning and mid to upper 70’s this afternoon with moderate to strong wind and a 1% chance of rainbows, especially if you drive west. Tomorrow also looks partly cloudy. Temps will be in the low 60’s early and the low 80’s in the afternoon. Light wind. No rainbows. Expect clouds on Monday with a slight chance of showers. Temps will be in the low 60’s early and upper 70’s in the afternoon. Light wind early, moderate late, 1% chance of rainbows.
White Sprinter Van of the Day
Road and Mountain Biking
Trailgate, a celebration of the 44 Road Trails, is at Billy Bob snowpark today. There will be food, drinks, and live music along with education about Jimmy T’s future plans for that network, including an extension of Cook Meadows trail to High Prairie. The Oregon Endurance MTB race, a 45 or 80 mile epic, happens on the 44 Road trails today. This is a grassroots event, free of charge and self-supported.
The Tour de France is on the TV at Dirty Fingers every evening. Mt. View Cycles has a women’s bike ride Saturday morning at 9am (beginner-friendly). They have another group ride (probably mtb) on Sunday evening at 5:15.
The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear.
Temira approves. Click to join.
Upcoming Events
Today’s events include Kiteboarding for Cancer at Hood River’s Event Site, the WIND youth regatta sailboat race in Cascade Locks, and TrailGate a 44 Road Trails party today at Billy Bob snowpark with food and live music.
There’s a trail run at 8 in Post Canyon this morning with free Pearl Izumi shoe demos. There’s a women’s bike ride leaving Mountain View Cylces at 9, and there’s a free Foundation Training class at the Waterfront Park at 9:30. Tonight at dusk, the Disney movie Frozen plays at Jackson Park, and tomorrow night at dusk, the movie Big Hero 6 plays at the Mt. Hood Town Hall lawn.
If you’ve been wanting to try kiteboarding, Kiteboarding for Cancer needs 20 people to sign up for the Never-Ever kited race on Sunday. Swing by Sunday morning before 10:30 to secure a spot.
Also tomorrow, there are four free yoga classes. Two are at 9am, one at Crossfit Hood River and one at Yoga Samadhi. There’s a Christ-centered YogaFaith class at Pure Yoga at 4pm in The Dalles, and there’s community yoga at 6pm at Root Down in Hood River.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
