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Gorge - is there a place to stay directly on the water?
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Hausi



Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:51 pm    Post subject: Gorge - is there a place to stay directly on the water? Reply with quote

Hi,
I plan to go in august with the family, hence: is there a place to stay that's directly located on the water?
Cheers,
Hausi
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 9:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Gorge - is there a place to stay directly on the water? Reply with quote

There are such spots, including campgrounds at Maryhill and Viento and upscale lodging at Rowena, but the problem is that the wind moves by the day and even the hour. If you're coming to windsurf, odds are very high that you will drive most days anyway. If that's OK, Google Maryhill Park in Washington, Viento Park in Oregon, and Rowena windsurfing lodging.

\m/
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advgeek



Joined: 30 Jun 2000
Posts: 83

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 3:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep, staying on the water isn't a huge plus in the Gorge since you'll likely be driving around to find the wind on any given day. It's not like the Caribbean where you sail from one beach the whole trip. Plus trying all the different spots is part of the fun. Flat water blasting at the Event Site one day and head high swells at Doug's the next.

Honestly I think the best thing is just to find the lodging that fits your budget and family requirements more than staying by the water.
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gorgekite



Joined: 26 Apr 2002
Posts: 52

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you can afford 3k a week and can find a house at rowena that is not booked they are nice and centrally located. On the other hand non sailers may want to be closer to Hood River for shoping and walking around.
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jse



Joined: 17 Apr 1995
Posts: 1460
Location: Maui

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

gorgekite wrote:
If you can afford 3k a week and can find a house at rowena that is not booked they are nice and centrally located. On the other hand non sailers may want to be closer to Hood River for shoping and walking around.


I'll add to that. I just got back from a week in a Rowena house. All in all, I sailed there 6 out of 7 days. However that doesn't tell the whole story. The first 3 days were 3.7+ and I wasn't exactly ready for anything but the relatively flat Rowena water. I could have sailed there and anywhere east of there. It was kind of nice having it right off the house so I could hang up my rigged sail for the inevitable session tomorrow. One other day I sailed Event site, came home and sailed a few more hours at Rowena, doing a down-winder to Dougs (Highly recommended.) And another day I sailed all afternoon at the Hatchery on a 5.0, came back to Rowena and had another 1.5 hours on a 4.0. Non-sailing people had fun too, photographing, painting, reading, flattening coins on the railroad tracks, lighting fireworks, etc...

However one thing I will say, virtually every day, we drove to Hood River at least once, sometimes 3 times a day. I think that was just mis-management on our part. But in Rowena you are kind of remote.

Steve
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jse wrote:
I wasn't exactly ready for anything but the relatively flat Rowena water. I could have sailed there and anywhere east of there.


That's confusing, given that the farther east you go, the bigger the river's terrain tends to get if the wind reaches it.

\m/
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jse



Joined: 17 Apr 1995
Posts: 1460
Location: Maui

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike,

It wasn't the terrain that bothered me. It was the 3.7 conditions. I own a 4.0, and use it about 5 times a year. Well, this year I used it in Maui a few extra times. So, upon arriving for my first trip ever to the Gorge, seeing it blowing like snot, and realizing I had to go to town to rent something I could use, and also having two 17 year old's sailing with me - one my own offspring (you know what a PITA kids that age can be), and the other an exchange student from Denmark I've been entrusted in keeping from drowning while he stays with us - I did not want to deal with anything more than what Rowena could throw at us. By saying I could have sailed there and anywhere east, what i meant was that the clouds were visible to our west, everything to the west was shut down, and I had my choice of places from Mosier and eastward. I just chose to stay at Rowena while the wind was good, the de-rigging non-existant, and the beer chilling.

(on a side note, I can't tell you how many sacrifices I've made in terms of quality TOW while I brought these two kids into the sport. My son is beyond me - he was throwing forwards and getting huge air even in the flat rowena conditions, but we are incompatible on the water, so we don't sail much together anymore, and when we do, one of us is unhappy. The exchange student has required me to rescue him countless times, cutting in to my enjoyment immensely. But hey, it's better than schlepping him to and from the golf course while it's nuking outside.)

Steve
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 12:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

THAT explains everything. I hadn't factored in kids.
\m/
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johnmcs



Joined: 10 Apr 2000
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 2:24 am    Post subject: Re: Gorge - is there a place to stay directly on the water? Reply with quote

Hausi wrote:
Hi,
I plan to go in august with the family, hence: is there a place to stay that's directly located on the water?
Cheers,
Hausi


Home Valley Campground in Home Valley, Washington - Between Stevenson and the Hatchery in Skamania County. There is a great new restaurant and general store across the street.
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bobgatpdx1



Joined: 13 Oct 2002
Posts: 385

PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Columbia Gorge Riverside Lodge in Stevenson is on the water and is right next to Bob's Beach - the main launch in Stevenson. It is a nice place and reasonably priced. Also has the advantage of being able to walk a couple of blocks into town for food, beer, etc. If its not windy at Stevenson, then its a 20 minute drive to The Hatchery.
bobg
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