windsurfing - The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

The recreation report and I have returned from our 3-night vacation to Maui. We went surfing 4 days and windsurfing two. That’s a pretty good trip, I think, especially considering that Thursday was over mast-high at Kanaha, uncrowded, and 4.2-4.7. What an amazing day of sailing… I also had a chance to try the brand-new Hot Sails Bolt while I was on Maui. Always fun to try the latest gear, right? It’s a super-light freestyle/wave sail. I used the 4.7, and it handled like a 3.7. So much fun!

Anyway, tickets to Hawaii are under $300, round-trip, on both Hawaiian and United right now, so if you’re desperate for a short getaway, check it out.

If you’re sticking around here and want to sail or kite, you’ll see some westerlies in the 15-18 range this morning, dying quickly by afternoon. Probably not worth driving. Tomorrow looks better, with 25-28 easterlies in the morning before the rain starts in the afternoon. I suppose you could continue your session in the rain, but we’re looking at an inch of precipitation, so you’ll be out in the torrential downpour.

My pick for tomorrow is night skiing at Meadows. An incoming front bearing about an inch of precipitable water will hit sometime after noon. Snow levels of 3000 feet will make for excellent powder tomorrow evening. Monday, of course, will be epic, with a foot of new snow or so, another 4-6” of accumulation, and snow levels around 3500-4000 feet. Make plans now. =)

Tuesday looks dry and cloudy, and Wednesday will be sunny on the mountain with easterlies in the Gorge.

Have a great day today!

Temira

Good morning!

I’m going to say it again: stop riding Syncline, and get your friends to stop riding Syncline until it dries out. It’s a muddy mess, criss-crossed with tire trenches from selfish bikers. If you must ride, and 99% of people would rather you didn’t, at least stay on the trails and off the grass to the side. You don’t want to ride in the mud? Then don’t go riding. Making the trail wider so you can avoid squishing and sliding along is not an acceptable way of riding. Respect the trails, and we’ll continue having access. Trash the trails, and you’ll ruin the riding for everyone.

Thank you.

If you’d like to ride, the roads are in good shape right now. I rode Eastside Loop yesterday, and there was very little gravel on the road. Riding felt so good to my legs, and my cobweb-covered bike was happy too.

If you like to play in the snow, I have good news. There’s plenty of snow headed toward Mt. Hood, good news for groomer-weary riders. If the forecasts hold, snow will start falling on Sunday, continuing through much of next week. You can thank me for this: I am headed to Maui on Monday, for three days, so we should have a foot of new every day I’m gone.

If you’d like to windsurf or kite, your best chance will be at the coast over the next few days. A series of disturbances will keep the southerlies blowing, often in the nuclear-force range.

Have a great day today!

Temira