Hood River, Oregon
When you look over the wide Columbia River from Oregon toward Washington on the other side, you might conclude that the white caps on the waves that seem to be traveling west to east -- left to right -- are the result of a very heavy current.
Well, there’s a heavy current, where the river cuts through the mountains at the Columbia River Gorge.
But the current is headed in the opposite direction, downstream from east to west toward the Pacific Ocean.
What’s headed east, causing all that watery commotion, is the wind.
Which is why the Columbia River Gorge, east of Portland, Ore., is one of the world’s best places to windsurf and kite board. The Cascade Mountains on either side of the river create a wind tunnel -- typically at up to 35 miles per hour – that moves surfers at good clip on the waters of the wide Columbia. May through September is the peak season.
Continue reading "Unwinding at windy Columbia River Gorge" »



