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Da Gorge is my shopping mall…6/27

Good morning!

Today’s forecast is brought to you by delicious Sophie’s Restaurant in Hood River, at 1810 Cascade. Sophie’s is open 7 days a week for dinner, along with brunch on Saturday and Sunday. They have a great patio for outdoor dining (now that Junuary is over, eating outside is great!) and an excellent selection of yummy, creative food. If you subscribe to the email version of the forecast by making a suggested donation of $10 at the bottom of this page, you’ll have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate. Otherwise, just go there and eat. You won’t be disappointed!

First off, congratulations to Bruce Peterson, winner of the windsurfing blowout yesterday! Congratulation also to Fiona Wylde, winner of the junior girls division, Ben Grodner in the jr boys division, and Rod Parmenter in the SUP division!

If you’re a windsurfer or kiter looking for something to do this morning while you wait for the wind to pick up, head to the Hood River Expo Center parking lot for CGWA’s swap meet. While you’re there, don’t forget to join CGWA and support them for all the work they do to keep the beaches in great shape. After you’re done shopping, head across the street to the Event Site for Windfest, where you’ll find lots of demo gear for just $10.

Westerlies will slowly pick up today, from Stevenson down to Mosier, peaking in the 19-22 range this afternoon. With the 8am gradient at .09 from Portland to The Dalles and the wind blowing 18 at the Hatchery and 12 at the Event Site, it’s not going to be long before we can all get on the water!

It’s looking like onshore flow will pick up on Monday as a weak front pushes marine clouds into Portland. Westerlies start off in the low teens tomorrow morning, picking up into the mid twenties tomorrow afternoon, with strongest winds centered on the Central Gorge.

At this point, it’s looking like a low pressure trough off the coast will keep Portland in the clouds for the early part of this week, keeping temperatures below normal, but more importantly, keeping westerlies flowing through the Gorge.

Coming up tomorrow night there’s free tai chi in Wilson Park in Hood River, and the alternative ride out of Mt. View Cycles. Tai chi’s at 6pm, and the alternative ride, a slow cruise to Mosier and back, meets at Mt. View at 6:30.

Boaters, the Klickitat’s still hovering around 2050 cfs, the Hood River’s at about 3 ¾, and the White Salmon’s just below 3 feet.

Finally, if you’re in The Dalles and you’re hungry, Griffith Motors is BBQing again today!

Whatever you do today, have an awesome day!

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Forecast

Summer Solstice Forecast

Good morning and happy summer solstice!

It’s the longest day of the years, and that means it’s your opportunity to get in the most Gorge sports possible!

Wind sports are definitely on the list today. The North Pacific high is set up over the ocean, and the 5am gradient from Portland to The Dalles was at .12 with another .08 out east. That means dawn patrol at Mosier, Rowena and Lyle today. With a little luck, the clouds will burn back west of the Hatchery, giving us a good day there too. By mid-morning, and until evening, we’ll have 26-30 from Mosier to Maryhill.

As of 5am, iWindsurf’s sensor network was down due to a Verizon outage in the Gorge. They are working to get this fixed, but until then, you can get your windspeeds at windonthewater.com.

The wind looks a little lighter tomorrow as high pressure builds across the Cascades and Portland sees more sun. Even so, we’ll still see 17-20 from Stevenson down to Hood River by afternoon.

If you’re looking for something to do tomorrow, there’s a white trash party at Northwestern Lake. BYOB and your favorite white trash dish to share, dress up in your best white trash outfit, and get ready to party. I’ve heard differing reports of the start time… anything from 10am to 5pm. If you know the correct start time, let me know!

For your second sport today, you have to go mountain biking, as the trails are in perfect shape right now. Post… Falls Creek… Lewis River… Surveyor’s… you name it, the dirt is tacky and perfect.

If you want to go boating today, the Hood’s at 3.9 feet, the White Salmon’s just below 3.5 feet and the Klickitat’s at 2080 cfs. If you want to run the Klickitat tomorrow with me and some friends, drop me a note!

And finally, this evening there’s Tai Chi at Wilson Park in Hood River at 6pm. That’s free, with lessons provided. And don’t forget to hit a solstice party tonight to celebrate the longest day of the year and the official start of summer!

That’s it for today. Whatever you do today, have an awesome longest day of the year!