Wiiiiiind!

I hung some things up to dry during the night. That was a mistake. They are even wetter in the morning. With an extra 5kg of weight, I travel back to Portland by bus and then further up the Columbia River. Basalts, twisted at an angle next to the road. Wide river, but little space: high mountains on both sides. On the Oregon side, low clouds cling to the mountains. On the Washington side, it is increasingly clearing up.

An hour upstream, the sun finally comes out. In its rays I see wonderful trees: all the branches are pointing upstream. Now that’s something. After a bend in the river, the bus suddenly starts to rock. White whitecaps in the middle of the river. At last!
It takes me just under two minutes to light my first cigarette in Hood River. There must already be 30 kiters and twice as many surfers on the water.

I take a taxi to the other side of the river. 3 miles costs the same as a 1.5-hour bus journey: $12. Cheeky Pekinese still thinks it’s cheap. It’s a cool thing when there’s no bus in a city and the only bridge in the wide area is closed to pedestrians. My accommodation is a hostel in an old school building in Bingen. Nobody there. I spread out my wet clothes on a dorm bed and make my way back to Hood River.

Fortunately, stopping is fine here. After 10 minutes I’m back on the other side and stumble into the first surf shop. Short briefing on the river. Very nice kites here. Batwing. And it looks like one too. Off to the beach. The spot in Hood River is perfect. At the mouth of the Hood River into the Columbia River is a large sandbank, probably 200 by 400 metres. Large standing area, few waves. The launch site is practically in the middle of the river valley. The wind blows onshore from the west, and after 100 metres the sandbank turns.

The locals claim that the spot is unsuitable for beginners because of the wind force (up to 90 km/h) and the gusts. I say: rubbish! If it lifts you out, you land on soft sand with plenty of space. Downwind drifting is hardly possible either, as the river flows in the other direction. And the best thing: after 500 metres downwind, there is the ultimate kite brake: a nice wide truss bridge.

I spend the first half afternoon just sitting on the beach. Relaxing from travelling. I can hardly believe my luck… have I finally caught up with the wind? Around four, the wind speed increases to almost 40 km/h. Everyone is only travelling with 7, 9 and 10 bows and hybrid kites. I’ve only got a 12 nitro from 2004, so I think I’ll make up for the lack of depower with my inability to ride.

Back to school in the evening. My bed is next to a blackboard from the last century. The Encyclopedia Americana from 1954 is in my wardrobe, the towels are fragrant and the shower is hot. If the wind stays still, I’ll do the same.