Temira's Free Forecast

Ever had "river nose" or "river flu" or any sort of skin infection (aka, staph) from playing in the Columbia? Yes? No? Let the Oregon Department of Health know about it!

From their website:

"In recent years, the Oregon Public Health Division has received reports from a number of windsurfers and kiteboarders about respiratory ailments and skin infections they experienced after surfing.

In order to better understand the incidence and cause of illnesses and injuries related to windsurfing and kiteboarding, we are doing a study among windsurfers and kiteboarders.

We are currently recruiting participants for the study. We are hoping to enroll 400 people who will complete five on-line surveys between May and October, 2008."

Join in. Here's the link:  http://www.dhs.state.or.us/dhs/publichealth/surferhealth/

There are some random prizes available for participants (I'd like a year's pass for the toll bridge, but that's not going to happen), but you'll have to follow the link for more information.

Good Morning Sailors!

I went to the Fred Meyer's in The Dalles on my way back from Roosevelt the other day. When I emerged, all I had in my basket were the following items: one pineapple, two limes, one box of strawberries, a bottle of vitamin C, a jug of orange juice and two grapefruits. Looking at my groceries, I became convinced that I had, if not full-blown scurvy, at least a minor vitamin C deficiency. Funny what you learn about yourself when grocery shopping without a list.

Speaking of heading out east... today is your last chance for sailing in the desert until the weekend. With the passage of this warm front (that's why we have all these clouds... again), winds will pick up from the cloudline eastward. Look for 22-25 in the desert this afternoon. I know that sounds weak compared to what we've seen the last few days, but take what you can get today. If you're not up for windsurfing, Post Canyon trails are in perfect conditions. Cloudy skies and cool weather make for perfect mountain biking conditions!

Tomorrow brings an early start in the 17-20 range, but winds fade - under sunny skies, however - as the day goes on.

By Thursday, we're looking at sailable easterlies and hot weather. Easterlies could be fun, if it gets windy enough, but I'm planning on heading to the Event Site for some serious work on my tan lines. Feel free to join me; the tanning forecast for Thursday and Friday is epic!

Out-of-towners, this could be your weekend. When the heat wave breaks on Saturday or Sunday, we're going to see a classic blasting day in the Gorge.

Whatever you do today, have fun, and make sure to eat enough fruits and vegetables!

For $20 off new iWindsurf subscriptions: http://www.iwindsurf.com/temira

Good morning sailors!

Where were you people yesterday? You missed great sailing at The Wall and Roosevelt! Are you still skiing? Is gas too expensive? I don't get it... 3.2 and 3.7 conditions with no crowds. Strange... maybe it's just too cold still. Temperatures never topped 60 at the sailing sites. That will change soon, don't worry. You'll be begging to jump in the icy Punchbowl come Thursday and Friday!

Yesterday wasn't your last chance to play in the river. Today brings lighter winds in the 17-21 range.

A warm front approaches Oregon overnight. If rain doesn't spread over the entire region, we'll see wind in the 22-26 range on Tuesday afternoon.

Wind continues through Wednesday. This post-frontal wind will be better quality than Tuesday's wind. Look for 23-27 for the better part of the day.

Well, that was probably the most boring forecast ever. I think the Pledge Drive babbling in the background is stealing my creative juices.

Have a great day today!

Don't forget you can get $20 off a new iWindsurf membership at http://www.iwindsurf.com/temira

Good morning sailors!

With drizzle dampening driveways and temperatures in the Gorge in the upper 40's, it's a good day to curl up in bed with a book. Snow is falling again on the mountain; it's only 28 degrees at 5200 feet. In the desert, a gentle breeze is swaying the sagebrush with a sub-50 degree touch. It's still winter.

Overnight winds crept into the 30ish range. We'll have to wait for afternoon for them to rebuild. Marine clouds made it all the way to Arlington, but with the cloud deck breaking up and gradients maximized over the Portland-Dalles section of river, Doug's will end up the windiest spot today. Look for winds in the 28-32 range from Doug's eastward, with the fun/cold equation (for me, that's 4.2 or better) equalizing around 1pm.  Upper level flow is WSW, which should work fine at The Wall and will favor Arlington, if you care to make the drive.

Winds back off tomorrow. We'll start the day with light kiteboarding wind around 15 mph, see a fade midday and a slow rebound in the evening. It will be a perfect day for mountain biking. Today's rain will turn the trails tacky tomorrow for hero sessions on tricky uphills.

Tuesday afternoon sees the passage of a warm front, and depending on the timing, potential for 25-28. It's a long ways out to make that call.

Have a great day today!

Good Morning Sailors!

Apologies to the wakeboarders and waterskiers. It looks like we're going to get one more day of moderate westerlies before high pressure sends boaters flocking to the docks. Today will bring wind in the 18-20 range for the better part of the day. There's a good chance we'll see a slow fade this afternoon as high pressure equalizes over Oregon.

Tomorrow is the perfect three sport day. An early morning wakeboard followed by a midday bike followed by an evening windsurfing session at Doug's. Basically, we'll start the day under high pressure and sunny skies, but a front will approach the coast in the afternoon. Even NOAA is having trouble with the timing of this system. I expect we'll see 21-25 in the afternoon in the Gorge, but the strongest winds will happen overnight. These are pre-frontal winds, and tend to be unpredictable and gusty. Cross your fingers that the pressure gradients manage to drive wind on the water. I think they will; this is a slow-moving front, which may just minimize the lifting that pulls winds above useful heights.

While I'm on the subject of Satuday... Mark Estes' memorial service will take place at Stonehedge in Hood River starting at noon on Saturday. Come celebrate his life in style!

Sunday has the potential for another blasting day in the eastern Gorge. As of now, we're looking at 30ish in the desert. Laura will be back, so I'm expecting to see her blasting around Threemile on her 2.8.

Stay out of trouble today. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Good morning sailors!

Hood River's community is more like a family than a town. I'm not sure if all small towns are this way, but this community feels unique to me. I imagine it has something to do with the fact that the majority of people here are living in the Gorge because they enjoy windsurfing, kiting, mountain biking, and everything else the Gorge has to offer. Because of this, instead of just seeing each other at the grocery store or local bar, we all spend a lot of fun time together at the beaches and trails and develop deeper friendships. I think this makes us more like brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles (hey, in some kinship systems, including Hawaii's, everyone older than you IS auntie or uncle) than simple neighbors..

My point is that we're all affected when someone within the community passes away. On that note, with sadness, we say goodbye to Mark Estes, our entertaining friend and sesh-saving Volvo mechanic, who passed away at The Wall yesterday under sunny skies, with 3.7 winds blowing and good swell on the river. If you make it on the water today, dedicate your session to him and to the people who tried their best to save his life yesterday.

Today is your last day for a few days to claim some quality time on the water. With the cloud line set up past Hood River, Doug's and The Wall will once again be the windiest spots. High pressure will be building today, shifting the flow more to onshore. This tends to make things gusty at The Wall, so perhaps Rowena is the call today. Look for winds to rise to the mid twenties this afternoon, nothing like yesterday's nuker, but still worth rigging.

Tomorrow and Saturday see warmer temperatures and potential wakeboarding conditions (Dan, where's the boat? Kathy?). We may still have some remnants of wind tomorrow, but kiteboarders will have the best shot at water time.

You guys take care and be safe today.