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Moving to the GORGE
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wsmike



Joined: 07 Jun 2003
Posts: 412

PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:37 am    Post subject: Moving to the GORGE Reply with quote

Hi,
Im planning a move to the Hood River area, to be moved in by May 1st. I understand theres quite a bit of seasonal habitants in the gorge (similar to a college town). Ive lived in college towns before, and after about August 15th on any given year, if you dont have a place to stay, youre stuck with whichever hole in the wall thats left over.

Is it the same in HR? What would be a general cutoff date for securing a place to stay (before all the pickings get extremely slim)?

--Mike
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hilton08



Joined: 02 Apr 2000
Posts: 505

PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 10:35 am    Post subject: RE: Moving to the GORGE Reply with quote

Mike,

If you start looking in April, have a reasonable budget to spend, and are willing to sign a year lease, you shouldnt have much of a problem.
If you show up in June looking for a cheap summer rental, you may end up sleeping in your car.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:07 pm    Post subject: RE: Moving to the GORGE Reply with quote

Do you plan to work at some scheduled job, or just chase wind? Housing needs are very different for windchasers vs working stiffs.

Mike \m/
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JRuffus



Joined: 17 Apr 2001
Posts: 293

PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:32 pm    Post subject: RE: Moving to the GORGE Reply with quote

just buy a camper and stay at the walmart parking lot, its free and they have clean bathrooms-
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forwards



Joined: 30 May 2000
Posts: 109

PostPosted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:00 pm    Post subject: RE: Moving to the GORGE Reply with quote

walmart OK as a backup option, but local yuk-yuks often drive thru at 3am and honk horns to disturb us. I should know, Im walmart_guy from now defunct hatchcam.com and storm_warning discussion boards and park at walmart as a last resort. Some HR locals consider windsurfers who live in RVs and vans to be white trash. Do I care?
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WMP



Joined: 30 May 2000
Posts: 671

PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:43 am    Post subject: RE: Moving to the GORGE Reply with quote

Hey there Mike, I got a rental that might become available in the next couple months here in HV. Nothing fancy.... but really affordable, quiet, peaceful, scenic area away from all the crazy HR stuff.

-- Wind Mtn. Pete
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wsmike



Joined: 07 Jun 2003
Posts: 412

PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:03 am    Post subject: RE: Moving to the GORGE Reply with quote

Last summer I did the Walmart thing once, that was enough for me. Besides the friendly locals laying on the horn at 3am, and the Jake Brakes, Im not proud to say I used Walmart for anything (except peeing in their parking lot bushes).

I also want to maintain some standard of living, and will be relocating semi-permanently so a nice place would be great. I will be working, but Im my own boss if that makes any difference. Something 2-3 bedrooms, that accepts cats is all I need--beyond that its icing on the cake...let me know what youve got Pete, message me with details.

M
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:02 pm    Post subject: RE: Moving to the GORGE Reply with quote

More important than whether you have a boss is the logistics requirements of your job, the other aspects of your life, and the priority you allocate to your sailing. If your job also has no rigid schedule, or even had no bulky accoutrements beyond maybe a laptop or a box of tools of a trade, theres nothing like mobility to ramp up ones sailing. Ive always felt sorry for sailors who had to Leave Wind To Find Lodging, i.e., who had to pack it up and drive 50-100 miles to their motel or apartment while there was still windy daylight on tap, especially when they know that to sail the next day they must drive right back again, missing still more windy daylight. The best days of my decades in the Gorge have almost always been parking in one windy spot for days (up to 10 days sometimes) on end, just sailing, eating, and sleeping without having to drive for food or lodging. The next best thing is sleeping 5-10 minutes from the sailing, rather than an hour or two away. We cant sleep AT the Hatch, but Walmart aint the only alternative within striking range. (When I do sleep at Walmart a couple of days a year, I use earplugs and a white noise machine to block out the halfwits and Jake brakes.)

But given your semi-permanent assessment, it sounds like housing is definitely in order . . . especially if that cat doesnt mind whether Daddy -- i.e., its food source -- doesnt make it home some nights because the wind is too good out east or west and his camper is stocked. That stocked camper (and a flexible cat) is priceless if one has the time flexibility to take advantage of it as the wind comes and goes, because many great sailing sessions are spontaneous.

Mike \m/
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wsmike



Joined: 07 Jun 2003
Posts: 412

PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 2:29 am    Post subject: RE: Moving to the GORGE Reply with quote

Hey Mike, how about 4 cats? Im not into living in a van, with my non-windsurfing girlfriend, 4 cats and a fish tank. Im not that committed so its a home with a foundation for me for sure. As nice as it may be to have a bed on wheels, Im looking for step 1 of moving to the gorge. At some point I may move to step 2 or 3 but for now I just need a roof over my head.

Thanks,
M
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 2:31 pm    Post subject: RE: Moving to the GORGE Reply with quote

Re: Im not that committed

Hee, hee . . . get back to us in few years and let us know whether youve changed that tune. Not the roof part -- thats mandatory for anyone who moves here -- but sailing here instills commitment in many people. Bud Arvid pointed out all the ways Gorge sailing is for wusses -- no sharks, warm water, warm air, string of lakes, no shorepound, no portages across hundreds of yards of sand dunes, waves seldom topping 10 feet -- intending them as INSULTS cause thats the kind of guy he is.

The jokes on him. Other than getting skunked driving out to Arlington, sailing here is just so damned convenient that its easy to get hooked. And since there are far too many windless hours, days, and weeks, the windy periods become precious, maybe even priceless.

Enjoy.

Mike \m/
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