Random Morning Thoughts
Someone asked me yesterday, “Where do those random morning thoughts come from?” The truth of the answer is that I don’t really know. I start thinking about something, and I follow the little threads that lead from one thought to another, and the next thing I know, I’m typing. Sometimes, maybe, I think too much.
For example, I had dream the other night. I was kissing this guy, and it became pretty obvious that we were going to take it a step further. He stopped and said, “Have you done this before?” I was a bit taken aback, and responded, “Yes, why?” And he replied, “Well, I haven’t, and I’m not sure I want to…” at which point he called in his friend, and they started talking about whether he and I should… ahem… move it forward. I got bored and left. And then I woke up, shaking my head and laughing.
From this, I surmise, some part of me overthinks things, whether it be random morning thoughts or life. We all do this sometimes – the overthinking. Sometimes, rather than trying to be logical, it’s helpful to stop talking or thinking, pause for a moment of silence, and listen to what our heart says is right. There’s something to be said for just going with the flow when it’s not going to hurt anyone around us. And of course, there are times when thinking hard is helpful too. But thinking without listening to our hearts isn’t going to get us the whole picture, so it’s always good to stop and check in with our bodies. They’ve got some good ideas too.
Speaking of bodies, mine is demanding a second cup of coffee and a bit of movement. I’m outa here. Have a great day, and happy Winter Solstice!
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Mt. Hood Snow
There were some pretty impressive numbers on Mt. Hood yesterday. First, there was just under 6” of water value in 24 hours. Second, Meadows clocked a gust of 118mph on Cascade last night, and Timberline clocked a gust of 136mph on the Magic Mile with a sustained one hour average of 98mph.
Next, in a lovely turn of events, the storm track has shifted enough that a mix of snow and rain was falling on the slopes this morning, rather than pure rain. The snow level today will hover right around 5000-5500′, with 1-1.5” water value (WV) falling between 4am and 4pm. It’s tough to call an exact amount with the borderline snow level, so let’s call it 3-6” of wet snow at 5000′ today, with another .3” WV overnight, for another 1-2” by tomorrow morning. Wind today will be W 45-50 in the morning, swinging to WNW 40-50 after 4pm.
Models disagree on precip tomorrow; the GFS says it’ll be dry, and the Euro calls for continued precipitation. Regardless of p-quantity, the snow level will be 4500′ early and 5500′ in the afternoon. So let’s call it a few inches of snow possible, but not guaranteed, with sunbreaks likely, especially in the afternoon. Wind will be WNW 35-40 early and NW 15-20 in the afternoon.
Tuesday looks partly cloudy on Mt. Hood with the free air freezing level (FAF) at 6000′ early and 10,000′ in the afternoon. Wind will be WSW 15-20 all day.
Wednesday starts off cloudy and possibly foggy, with rain starting by 4am, switching to snow by mid-morning. The snow level will be 7000′ early, 2500′ by mid-morning, and 1000′ overnight. We’ll see about .2” rain before the switch, and then we’ll see .5” WV fall as snow, for 4-6” of new.
Thursday currently looks partly cloudy, and the long range forecast looks, if nothing else, cold enough for snow-not-rain if any precip swings through.
Gorge Wind
This morning started with solid west gradients: .07 (pdx-dls) and .11 (dls-psc). That’s driving wind in the low double digits in the western Gorge and the upper 20’s out at Arlington. Models say we’ll see 28-32 in the far east Gorge all day today, with the wind filling in back to the Lyle and Maryhill stretch at 28-32+ mid-morning on. This may sound very tempting, especially with temps in the mid 50’s and the water still in the mid 40’s. Remember that many rivers are near flood state right now, and the Columbia will have a lot of debris floating in it.
Tomorrow starts with leftover west wind at 21-23, fading to light and variable in the afternoon. Looks like we’ll see light east wind on Tuesday. Wednesday caught my eye this morning. Strong high pressure builds offshore and combines with low pressure in the desert for what sure looks like a “Classic Gorge Setup”. Keep your eye on the forecast, because there’s a lot of potential for a great day on the water if nothing changes in the forecast between now and then.
Gorge Weather
In case you were wondering, we set a rainfall record yesterday both at Larry’s house and at HOXO, with 1.45” at Larry’s house and 1.9” at HOXO.
The rain will continue today at a lesser rate (although we’d already had .7” as of 7am). Expect rain and west wind with mild temps: mid 50’s early and upper 50’s this afternoon. Balmy. Rainbow chances are 89% today. Today’s rain record is 2.03”, and it looks unlikely we’ll break that.
Expect showers tomorrow followed by partly cloudy sky. Temps will be in the low 40’s early and the mid 40’s in the afternoon. Rainbow chances are 92%. Tuesday looks partly to mostly cloudy with a good chance of an inversion cloud. Temps will be in the upper 30’s early and the mid 40’s in the afternoon.
In the long range forecast, Wednesday will bring a few showers with strong west wind. With the snow level dropping to 1000′ or so on Wednesday night, it’s likely Odell and Parkdale will see a bit of snow, and it’s even more likely that our roads will be icy on Christmas morning. Looks like we’ll shift to northerly flow on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday, with temps right around freezing in the Gorge on Friday.
White Sprinter Van of the Day
Road and Mountain Biking
It’s muddy out there. Thank you and have a nice day. P.S. Be careful if you’re riding along the Twin Tunnels today. There’s a pretty good chances rocks and stuff have fallen on the trail.
The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear.
Temira approves. Click to join.
Upcoming Events
Today is Sunday, December 21st, and today is the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. From now on, the days will be lighter, at least until the summer solstice, when the cycle will repeat. To celebrate this dark day, the Columbia Gorge Tri Club folks will be going to a dark place: They’ll be riding bike trainers for 10 hours to raise money for Athletes 4 Cancer, a local 501(c)(3) that puts on camps for young survivors. If you’re looking for a great company to support with a year-end donation, this is a good one.
In other news, my friend Paul has a winter solstice / Seahawks party today at 5pm. The Seahawks are playing the Cardinals today, in what could be an amazing game, despite the Cardinals having to play a third or fourth string quarterback. Before Paul’s party, there’s community yoga at 9am at Yoga Samadhi in White Salmon. There’s pickup touch rugby (probably quite muddy today) at the Mosier School at 3pm.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
