Your forecaster. Click on her to donate. Thank you!
Do something nice for the Klee Family or for Dirty Fingers today. It’ll make you feel good. Promise.
If you would like to help Matt Klee’s dear, sweet, hilarious wife, please sign up to help feed her and her family and friends a meal sometime in the next month. You’ll get an email reminder the day before, so you don’t have to remember. Also, if you have been by Dirty Fingers Bike Repair in the last couple of days, you’ve seen grown men in tears. Matt was a brother to those guys. If you would like to show a local bike shop that they have the support of the community (the same way they’ve created a community for many of us), please sign up to take them lunch one day in the next couple of weeks.
Random cool advertising: The Mt. Adams Country Bicycle Tour
Hey all, I know you like to ride bikes. June 28th is the Mt. Adams Country Bicycle Tour, benefiting local charities such as the Trout Lake, BZ and Glenwood Fire Emergency Services, the Trout Lake Grange and School Projects. You can choose from the 11.5 mile Family Fun Ride, the 51 Mile Glenwood Loop or the 54 Mile [super-rad] Forest Loop. Or go big with the 105 Mile Infinity Ride. These are two of my favorite loops in the Gorge, and doing them supported is a great way to go. Sign up now.
Random Morning Thoughts
Random Morning Thoughts
The universe didn’t exactly do what I was hoping for, but I’ll take the best windsurfing day since 1989.
| Your favorite beach | Dawn Patrol |
9am- 11:30a |
11:30a- 3pm |
3pm- dusk |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooster’s Rocks | light | 5-10 | 5-10 | 5-10 | |
| Steven’s Locks | 0-10 | 10-15 | 15-18 | 18-22 | |
| Hatchery (minus a few for Hood River) | 19-22 | 22-25 | 24-27 | 24-27 | |
| Doug’s, etc. | 10-14 | 14-19 | 22-25 | 24-27 | |
| Rufus, etc. | 10-14 | 10-14 | 14-19 | 19-23 | |
| Roosevelt, etc. | 8-11 | 10-14 | 10-14 | 14-19 | |
Gorge Wind
Well. Yesterday I said 25-29 near Hood River and 30-35 at Doug’s. I was off by a bit. It blew 32-37 near Hood River. For goodness’ sake. I’ve never seen 32-37 at the Hatch. Not in 15 years of windsurfing here. Everyone at the beach was saying that yesterday was the best windsurfing day they’d ever seen in the Corridor. That was assuming they had a small enough sail.
I didn’t, but I made mine work: 2.9 Hot Sails Maui Superfreak. It’s not a monofilm sail, so it’s not twitchy. It’s the only kind of sail I’ll use sub-3.5. Oh happy Superfreaks. I was still overpowered. Temira on a 2.9 overpowered. That definitely qualifies as nuking wind, because Temira, in case you didn’t know, is 5’8” and 160lbs of solid muscle. Temira is built like a Chianina bull. Temira does not get blown off the water. Temira came in yesterday and said, “This is dangerous. Does anyone have a PFD I can use?” And then Temira went back out, because Temira thinks overpowered 2.9 and 10′ swell is fun. Temira wishes it did this at least twice a week.
I hope everyone finds all the gear they lost yesterday. I almost lost my entire rig. A friend of mine did lose his entire rig (and he’s a ripper of a windsurfer). I saw a kiteboard go drifting by the Hatch at one point. I’m sure there was other gear lost. I hope there were no injured people and everyone had a great day.
Anyway, you probably don’t want to hear about that. You want a forecast. Today is starting with .10/.05 gradients and wind right around 20mph at the Hatch. With NOAA calling for “only subtle changes” over the next week, we’ll be seeing more wind. Expect a slow build to 24-27 by 1pm or so, with the strongest wind at the Hatchery section of river, filling in at the Lyle section of the river later. Stevenson will end up with 19-23, as will Maryhill.
Models are still predicting 5-10mph for tomorrow, but I’m going with 17-21. Strongest from Stevenson to Hood River. I’ll probably be wrong, but whatever. Someone’s got to stick their neck out forecasting around here!
There’s a bit of a weak weather system that will come in sometime between Thursday morning and Friday morning, and that’s screwing up the reliability of the forecast a bit. If that weather system comes through Thursday night, we’ll see a strong marine push and strong westerlies Friday. If not, we’ll see weaker westerlies.
Gorge Weather
If you are a road biker, start thinking about the comment you’re going to write to the USFS about their plans to rip up the pavement on Red Hill Road for a logging contract. Get your friends on board. I’ll be forming a group to work toward a smarter solution. I also plan to have that group work with ODOT to look at options for bike lanes on the Dee Highway. That may or may not be possible, but it’s worth a shot.
In trail news, I’m hoping that Mother Nature will make it rain.
Road and Mountain Biking
If you are a road biker, start thinking about the comment you’re going to write to the USFS about their plans to rip up the pavement on Red Hill Road for a logging contract. Get your friends on board. I’ll be forming a group to work toward a smarter solution. I also plan to have that group work with ODOT to look at options for bike lanes on the Dee Highway. That may or may not be possible, but it’s worth a shot.
In trail news, I’m hoping that Mother Nature will make it rain.
The Clymb: free membership. Cheap gear. Temira approves. Click to join.
River Levels
The White Salmon is at 3.5′. The Hood is at 4.1′, the Klickitat’s at 1910cfs, and the Columbia is at 323kcfs at John Day. The Dalles Dam is reading 338kcfs.
Events – email me if I’ve missed any outdoor-related events
Tonight is Wednesday, and Wednesday is busy around here. At Dirty Fingers at 5:30, you can join the all-women’s Post N’ Pinot bike ride. This is a good ride if you’re just getting in to mountain biking. There’s sailboat racing at the Hood River Marina around 6pm. There’s ping pong at the Hood River armory at 6:30pm. There’s also a track workout with the Hood River Running Club tonight at 6:15 at HRVHS.
On Thursday night, it’s the ribbon cutting ceremony and opening party for the new 2nd Wind store, located at 2nd and State. 2nd on 2nd. I like it! Also tomorrow, there’s pickup rugby at 3:30 at Henkle Middle School, there’s a shuttle for the Post n’ Pint (likely full, but call the shop), and there’s a women’s road bike ride leaving The Dalles City Cyclery at 5:30pm. All paces. No drop.
Coming up this weekend, Post Canyon hosts the Oregon Enduro race, so maybe ride elsewhere. Saturday is National Trails Day. Contact your local ranger station to see what they have planned. NWTA has a Sandy Ridge shuttle day on Saturday. All proceeds benefit the Sandy Ridge trail system. Saturday is the Portland World Naked Bike Ride. Sunday is the Gorgeous Gals Ride in The Dalles, benefit Haven, working to prevent domestic violence.
If you would like to say goodbye to Matt Klee, his memorial service is at the Gorge Room at the Hood River Inn at 5pm on Saturday. Jen Klee has asked that people make donations to the Hood River Area Trail Stewards in lieu of sending flowers.
Have an awesome day today!
Temira
