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CoronaChat
Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of anger and vitriol as people grapple with the negative emotional effects of stay at home orders. Let’s be real: not being able to do the things you love sucks. And you love windsurfing, paddling, kiting, fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, and all the other outdoor activities. Being told by elected leaders that you need to stay close to home results in feelings of sadness, disappointment, anger, and powerlessness.
If you’ve made the life and lifestyle choices that make you a permanent resident of the Gorge, that’s awesome. You still have access to those things you love, maybe not at all the places you love, but you can get out. If you live somewhere else, my heart aches for you, especially if you live in a place where the virus is ripping through your community causing illness and death. Losing sources of joy, wind sports, dirt sports, hurts.
I’m acknowledging that, and I’m also asking you to follow the orders of the county where you live. If you’re under a stay-at-home order, please don’t come to the Gorge. Tempted? Imagine what would happen if everyone else did the same as you want to do. Imagine how that might impact locals in the Gorge during this pandemic. Rather than thinking of the best case scenario (nothing happens), consider the worst (you’re an asymptomatic carrier, and you spread coronavirus to all those white-hairs at the beach, or you give it to a young person who gives it to her grandfather, who dies).
This is an exercise in sitting with difficult feelings of loss. You really miss windsports and dirt sports. I get it. Sit with that. Have patience. This isn’t forever. It’s just for now, and your time on the river and the trails will return. We’ll get through this together. We have to work as a community, not as individuals, or it will be much, much worse.
CoronaChat
The Forecast
| Your favorite beach | Dawn Patrol |
9am- 11:30a |
11:30a- 3pm |
3pm- dusk |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooster Rock | beach | closed | buns | clothed | |
| Steven’s Locks | G14-18 | G14-18 | G20-23 | G20-23 | |
| Swell-Hood River | G14-18 | G14-18 | G20-23 | G20-23 | |
| Doug’s, Lyle, Rowena | G14-18 | G14-18 | G25-29 | G25-29 | |
| Rufus, etc. | G14-18 | G14-18 | G25-29 | G25-29 | |
| Roosevelt & Arlington | G14-18 | G14-18 | G14-18 | G14-18 | |
Gorge Wind Forecast
Oregon and Washington are encouraging people to not travel to access recreation, and all land managers and law enforcement are carefully watching to see if people maintain social distancing. If crowding happens, water access will be revoked. If you are local and lucky enough to have water access in your community, please do this: rig, play, leave. Recreate and go home. That’ll help limit the spread of Novel Coronavirus. If you live in a place that’s still under a stay at home order, stay home – follow the guidance of where you live, not where you want to go.
Tuesday brings a complicated weather setup that may or may not result in wind worth your time. Let’s break it down. Low pressure over the eastern half of the state slowly shifts east, allowing offshore high pressure currently at 1028mb to exert influence. Unfortunately, that low will drag rain into the eastern Gorge and destabilize the boundary layer resulting in lesser-quality wind. For the west, under the clouds all day, expect 14-18 in the morning and gusty 20-23 in the afternoon. Rowena (closed) to Rufus and The Wall and Maryhill (all closed) picks up to 25-29 mid to late afternoon. It appears launches farther east will be under the low and not as windy. River flow: 330kcfs. Temp: 54 degrees.
Better luck on Wednesday! Nature cooperates. Offshore high pressure strengthens. A front approaching in the afternoon will likely knock down the wind strength in the western Gorge, but the eastern Gorge should hold on. Perhaps it will be gusty. Likely it will be gusty. That won’t stop the gradients. Morning wind starts with 25-29 everywhere, with perhaps 30-35 at Rock Creek (97040 residents only). Areas west of Mosier will be under the clouds and very gusty, so Dawn Patrol is probably not an option. East of there? Pack it up and include small gear. The Dalles to Boardman picks up to 30-35 in the afternoon. Rowena/Doug’s may or may not join in.
Wind continues on Thursday, although a morning disturbance may create gustiness. Showers stick around in the western Gorge through early afternoon, rendering those launches not-so-good. We’ll have 12-15 everywhere in the morning. Afternoon: 13-16 in the west. 25-28 east of The Dalles. Similar conditions repeat on Friday. Saturday looks lighter, but sunshine sticks around all day. A weather system approaches on Sunday, leaving us with nothing exciting to talk about that day either. Enjoy the next few, and if you don’t live here, please respect your home county’s rules and don’t travel if it’s not permitted!
Open/Closed Launch Site List -All restrooms are closed!
Washington:Skamania County – Phase two, recreate with 5 or less people outside household
Stevenson East Point, Bob’s Beach, Boat ramp: all open
Home Valley: closed
Swell City: closed
Spring Creek Hatchery: Closed
Klickitat County – Stay at home order in place. Only recreate with household members
Wunderbar: high water
Bingen Point: Open
Lyle: you have to cross private property to access
Doug’s Beach: Closed
Avery: Open
Maryhill: Park closed. Boat ramp open.
The Wall: Closed
Roosevelt: Open
Oregon: Phase one for Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam counties – recreate with 10 or fewer friends from the county
Rooster Rock: Closed
Viento: Closed
The Hook: open
Waterfront Park: Closed
Event Site: Closed
The Spit: Open
The Marina: Open
Boat ramp: open
Mosier: Only open for residents of 97040
Rowena: Closed
Celilo: Closed. Boat ramp open
Rufus: Closed
Arlington: Open
Threemile: Open
Mt. Hood Weather Forecast
Timberline is open with exemplary guidelines for protecting guests and staff from the transmission of novel coronavirus. Please read their guidelines and rules here. Well done, T-Line! The Mt. Hood weather forecast will be on vacation unless something interesting happens in the weather up there. Some of you will be tempted to go out backcountry skiing. Please don’t – accidents do happen, and you may put others at risk. Timberline is allowing uphill access outside the permit area on the climbers’ trail ONLY. No uphill traffic is allowed at Meadows.Hood River Weather Forecast
Cloudy weather on Tuesday sticks around all day. Temps will be in the low 50’s early and low 60’s later. Moderate westerlies. No rainbows. Wednesday looks cloudy. Temps will be in the upper 40’s early and upper 50’s later. Moderate to strong westerlies. No rainbows. Thursday looks sprinkly and cloudy. Temps will be in the mid 40’s early and low 60’s later. Moderate westerlies. No rainbows. Looking for a complete Columbia Gorge forecast? Looking for more humor in your weather? Obscenities? You’re looking for my TATAS: Temira’s Awesome Travel Advisory Service on Facebook.Cycling
Trail update: Post open to residents of HR County. No parking in HRC forests (staging areas, or anywhere). Syncline/Coyote Wall: CLOSED (it’s in the scenic area, and all those trails are closed – you risk a parking ticket or more if you’re there). Mt. Hood National Forest: trailheads and developed areas CLOSED. Trails: open if you can park somewhere that’s not a trailhead. Surveyor’s, Dog River, and Oak Ridge open according to Strava. Kreps/SDS: open. Sandy Ridge: Open. Nestor Peak: open. Columbia Hills State Park: CLOSED. Skamania County trails outside the scenic area: open. Ape Canyon: Closed. Falls Creek: too snowy to ride as of five days ago per an email I received.
Current lawful social distancing requirements: only people from your household in Klickitat County. Only household members if you’re from Multnomah, Clark, or other ‘stay at home’ counties. Up to 5 friends in Skamania County. Up to 10 in Hood River County.
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Have an awesome day!
Temira
