I learned to windsurf many years ago when I lived in New England. It was the early years of the sport and it was a time when folks looked at this activity as part of a lunatic fringe. Kinda like the early years of Mt. Biking!
A friend of mine gave me an old “Windrider” he had hanging around in the garage for helping him move. There were very few people who actually knew how to sail at that time, so I was pretty much on my own. Yeah, I got rescued a few times by ski boats, but I stuck with the steep learning curve of figuring out how to steer, getting back in the straps and using a harness.
Over time I got more proficient and it wasn’t long before I was sailing on Buzzards Bay and heading to Cape Hatteras, some of the most scenic sailing spots in the country. Since I’ve moved to New Mexico, I don’t sail near as much as I used to, but sailing is kinda like riding a bike. Once you learn the balance aspects and the basics of water starting and jibing, you may not have sailed for quite some time, but it will come back to you to pretty quick.
My girlfriend Sandra and I have become more or less destination sailors. We like to go to beautiful places and experience the joys of sailing in different conditions. Without a doubt, one of the most interesting and intense places to sail in the country is the Columbia River Gorge in Hood River, OR.
What makes The Gorge so unique is the dynamic of the "Wind Machine". You see the desert to the east of the Central Cascades heats up into the triple digits during the months of July and August. As that hot air mass rises it draws in the cooler air from the Oregon Coast. The temperatures on the coast during the summer can be as low as the 40's and 50's, so the air that is drawn towards the desert it is moist and heavy. And it has really only one way to get there; straight up the Columbia River!
We like to call it the conveyor belt because as the wind comes to the east, the current in the river is moving west. Think of it as Oregon's version of the "Albuquerque Box". The wind can gust to 50mph here and pushing against the mighty Columbia River creates the "swell" any good windsurfer loves to play around on.
So this summer we decided to do a 3 week vacation and drive to Hood River. I’ve covered some of the “Bucket List” Mt. Bike rides we did along the way in an earlier blog post, now here’s a recap of our July trip to “The Gorge”.
One of the best feelings I had on this trip is waking up on the shoulder of Mt. Hood and driving into Hood River early on a Sunday morning, knowing we had 2 weeks of big fun ahead of us. Two of the greatest aspects of The Gorge apart from the wind, are the flowers and the fruit. Cherries, apples, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, you name it, it probably grows on the shores of the Columbia River. And one of our favorite places to get fruit is the “Draper Girls Farm”.
This is a beautiful little orchard stand on the way into Hood River that is obviously family run and trusts in the good intentions of people. We rolled in at 7:00AM in the morning and it was sort of open. I mean they run the stand on the honor system. You go in and bag what you want, weigh it on the scale and leave money in a lock box. Now how many places like that do you find any more? Truly the vanishing aspect of small town America.
Once in Hood River we settled in for 2 weeks of fun in the sun. The weather was beautiful even if the wind was a little on the light side. We did a good bit of sailing and spent some time site seeing. We went to Multnomah Falls, drank some great beers at the Portland Brewers Fest and went down to the coast to see the Big Ocean! We even took some time to ride bikes around the well known Post Canyon area, home of Family Man.
So without further delay, here are the pictures in separate links for all to enjoy;
The Main Gorge Pictures... Need we say more?
The Oregon Coast... As pretty as you can imagine!
Family Man and Post Canyon... It wouldn't be a trip if we didn't ride our bikes!
You know how much I love Rocks and Mountains... Here's some views along the way!
Now get out there and get wet!
