The weather here in the Pacific NW has been typical of springtime in this part of the country; nearly eighty degrees one week and barely fifty the next. There is less and less rain, which is a sure sign that summer is just around the corner.
Along with the last of the spring rains comes the first of the local cherries. The turn towards warmer and drier weather has got the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The local hills are white with the blossoms of the cherry orchards.
The past Saturday was the Washington State trout season opening day, but the 15-30 MPH wind kept us off the lakes until Sunday, which was clear and sunny, but pretty cold for this time of year. The 50F air and 45F water temperature put a bit of a chill on the fishing, but I did manage to catch a couple small rainbow trout, so the fishing season is off and running.
The excitement is building for the trout season opener tomorrow. Weather should be partly sunny and in the mid fifties. Wind will be light in the morning and pick up later in the day so it’s a dawn patrol for sure.
Scoped out the kayak launch sites yesterday afternoon, saw lots of birds diving on the water, pretty excited to get going.
Sunday was a beautiful spring day; a perfect day to kick off the 2009 fishing season. Did the usual scramble to get all the gear together and made sure the kayak was still seaworthy. Sweet dreams of a new fishing season.
Even though it would be 75F later in the day, at 5:00 AM I had to scrape ice off the windshield to get going. As I headed east along the Columbia River, snow covered Mt. Hood was barely visible in the pre-dawn light. Got to the launch between Hood River and The Dalles. It was glassy in the protected coves and west wind chop and the usual Columbia River currents out in the main channel. Still a little nippy as I launched into the river.
Headed out into the main channel and started to work the rocks and drop-offs with the the trusty clear/red flecked grub that has fooled both fresh and saltwater bass. Sure enough, got a nice spring smallmouth and a few more short hits; the season was off and running.
Next Saturday is the trout season opener, we’ll be having a go at those hungry trout. Many of the backcountry lakes are still covered in snow, but the plan is for one of the local lakes that is a little lower.
Maybe fishing on Saturday, snowboarding on Sunday; we’ll see how it works out.
Another great day of boarding at Mt. Hood Meadows. Weather was sunny and cool enough to keep the snow from getting too slushy. The snow stayed loose and fluffly for most of the day, got a little windy on top but nothing too gnarly.
A storm is moving in and should dump more snow with the snow level falling to about 2500′ tonight. Only a few more chances to hit the slopes this year, hoping it stays good.
Howdy everyone-The photos from the Cherry Blossom Classic are up on the website. Hope they get you stoked to go out riding.
A great weekend for springtime sports action here in the Pacific NW. One last winter snow day and spring arrives all in the same day.
Saturday was the last big winter day at Mt. Hood Meadows for snowboarding; it will be spring conditions from here on in. The freeze-thaw spring conditions were in full effect. We were hoping for a little more fresh snow from the two feet or so that had fallen over the past week, but the warm days and cold nights produced the first day of ice in the morning and slush in the afternoon. A few decent runs down the 2 1/2 Black Diamond Pluto Bowl and one final run through the Private Reserve was the end of a tremendous spring season where knee deep, fluffy powder was a regular feature of what had to be one of the best months of March of all time.
We left the mountain and headed to The Dalles for the Cherry Blossom Classic Criterium. Plenty of great, fast racing through the streets of downtown The Dalles with long straightaways and ninety degree corners. A great bike racing atmosphere that we have come to expect from what is quickly becoming a stage racing hotbed here in the United States. The racing went on until the sun went down and the moon came up.
The next day was a challenging road race through one of the local road rider’s favorite routes; the winding roads between Mosier and The Dalles. The weather was great and the scenery was fantastic, but the undulating hills of the race course took all the rider’s concentration; the racers were strung out all over the challenging course.
The Cherry Blossom Classic was a great way to kick off the new racing season; we’re looking forward to the upcoming Mt. Hood Classic for more great American stage racing.
I’ll have photos from the Cherry Blossom Classic on the website as soon as I can.
With traffic control on the Cherry Blossom Classic road race route, there was very little vehicle traffic which gave weekend bike riders a chance to ride on the same roads with the racers. Getting passed on the uphills by the peletons of racers gives you a pretty good idea how fast these racers are and inspiration to get off the couch and on your bike. Sunday may have been the best weekend ride for a road biker in the United States; glad to be out there riding.
Be back with more soon.
Still working on buffing out this blog software, setting up a virtual server is taking a little more effort than I figured. The weather is cold and rainy so I’ve got a day or two to work on it some more.
Looking forward to this weekend. It’s been snowing heavily at Mt. Hood Meadows, the blizzard will stop Friday night and we are heading up on Saturday, which should be clear and sunny.
There’s only about 12′ of snow left.
When I get done boarding, I’ll be headed to The Dalles, OR for a downtown criterium bike race. My friends over at Gorge Delights are the title sponsors of the Cherry Blossom Classic bicycle stage race. Stoked to be snowboarding and kicking off the bike season all in one day. Sunday we ride; board or bike, maybe board and bike, it’s all good.