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New to Tri-Cites: Looking for Windsurfers and Snowboarders

 
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yargerd



Joined: 05 May 2007
Posts: 31

PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:58 am    Post subject: New to Tri-Cites: Looking for Windsurfers and Snowboarders Reply with quote

Hello all,

I just moved to Kennewick, WA. I love to windsurf and snowboard. I'm looking to connect with the local windsurf crowd (hopefully there is one) and also find some carpool buddies for snowboarding. I windsurfed in the Gorge and on the coast for about seven years. Send me a PM and we can connect! Thanks.

Dave
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fearnobeer



Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

yargerd;
If ya don't mind me asking I am curious as to what brought you to kennewick and why there as opposed to Pasco or Richland? Also, so far how do you like it?

Tom
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll chip in on that one, Tom. I looked at homes all over the TriCities when we moved here in 1999 -- both in and outlying from all three towns (they're seamless; Pasco's boundary is obvious only due to the Columbia River). All three offer a wide variety of housing, and most locals regard the T-C as just one contiguous big town; I'm not even sure which town many major areas belong to.

I chose K for one simple reason, with a caveat: it's closest to the lower Columbia (the part that flows to the west). The caveat was my wife's job commute to north Richland, but that limited our choices very little because the whole place just isn't that big, traffic is seldom consequential, and most drivers are very polite. Her job commute from SW Kennewick to N Richland was barely 20 minutes, half on cruise control, and I'm on an empty southbound interstate highway with my cruise set on 78 mph and no more than 5-10 vehicles in sight north- or south-bound two minutes after leaving my driveway; I reach our primary sailing spot in a hour -- other spots are much closer -- without risk of a ticket. My sailing buds who live in W and N Richland take empty westerly back-road shortcuts for about 70 minutes to the same spot. Living in far NE Pasco might add 15-20 minutes to my lower Columbia trip 'cause they have no shortcuts. The other guys can reach Richland's sailing spot in one to five minutes, but it's useful only a few days a year. They have a 15-minute advantage to sites north of the T-C, but those spots, while very windy, suck due to chop on chop w/rare swell.

Ya gotta at least consider your job commute, especially if it's on some outer fringe of the T-C, but ask yourself these three questions:
How often are you in a hurry to get to work?
How often are you NOT in a hurry when on the way to Da River (we wait until it's blowing to leave).
How often would an extra 20 minutes driving time make you decide not to go sailing (hint: much of the best sailing is on weekday evenings)?

Yeah, each town has its characteristics, but each also has any level of housing one would want.

My primary complaint is growth; I can't use my cruise control in town as often as I could when we moved here. (It takes my lead foot out of the loop.)

Dave, there are several avid WSers here who drive to the lower Columbia 60-80 days a year. Some sail year-round, the sane ones only about 8 months a year or so. We're busy enough that we don't get together much except at the river, but that produces way too much social time (aka dead air time) anyway, so nobody's complaining. Most of us are engineers, and three of us catch just about all the sustained 6.0 and stronger wind available in the eastern Gorge [two of us are retired, the third catches almost every windy day by sheer level of effort and flexible (PNNL) hours]. Many more T-C sailors catch 20-30-40 days a year. BTW, don't let our gray hair discourage you; we don't know of anyone who puts in more high wind time on the water "Out East" than we do.

There's still some shred time left in this season. I usually hang in there until the water hits about 46 degrees (it's about 52 now), but wind this late are mighty gusty. This is prime time, almost the only time, for WSing in downtown Richland. When Richland's wind is averaging 20ish and is from 170-200 degrees, drive east on Van Geisen and follow your nose to where it hits the river. Rig on the lawn and step into the water. I'll PM you my phone number. Late fall can also favor Port Kelley, right where the river flow changes from southerly to westerly. It requires SSW to SW winds, is 30-40 minutes away, and can get the biggest swell on the entire Columbia ... at a price: it's longest and most likely swim on the Columbia because the swell is a mile offshore and the canyon walls shut off the wind instantly when it goes W.

I haven't snowboarded since the late 1960s and quit skiing when I moved away from northern Utah a decade ago, so I can't help you there. It's available 2-3 hours away. I'd bet the ski/board shops can link you up.

Mike \m/
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fearnobeer



Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 10:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Polite drivers and no traffic are a rarity these days, is there much new development going on in the area which would cause more congestion a few years down the road?
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yargerd



Joined: 05 May 2007
Posts: 31

PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:30 pm    Post subject: Thanks for the information fellas Reply with quote

I moved to Kennewick simply because that is where my job is. I, too, am an engineer. Anyway, thanks for the info. I am putting a new kit together and will be starting up again next spring. I took a couple years off from windsurfing and just recently moved back to the area. Tri-Cities is OK. I am young and it is hard to get plugged in here. I am happy to know that there are other windsurfers here and will be very excited to learn the ways of the far east wind. Let's make sure we touch base and see eachother on the water in the early spring.

DY
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hope you are building that kit with one eye on Hood River deals on closeouts and used gear and the other eye on spring swap meets.

And, yes, Tom, the area is developing rapidly ... has been for well over a decade. It's one of the faster growing towns in the country. But growth is being managed quite well and, unlike most big urban areas, there's lots of money and land for new highways. I've lived in almost a dozen states and have never seen traffic this light and free-flowing in any town over 10,000.

Mike \m/
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fearnobeer



Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 12:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike;
I checked housing prices on Realtor.com and was surprised to find new homes in the $250k - $350k ranges, some quite luxurious.

Tom
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm surprised they cost that much. Everything here from shoes to houses -- except gasoline -- is cheaper than we've paid elsewhere. I'd guess my 4 BR/3 bath 2,800 sq ft home on 1.3 acres of heavily landscaped land in a silent (I can seldom hear mankind in my back yard), traffic-free (there are more dogs and neighbors than cars in the street) neighborhood crammed FULL of mature trees is worth barely over $200k, and is still appreciating slightly. I simply cannot comprehend the home prices -- let alone the recent devaluation -- I hear from big cities.

Mike \m/
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fearnobeer



Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Has anyone heard anything about the Tri-Cities stare? There was a post about it on the Tri-Cities forum; http://www.city-data.com/forum/tri-cities/

Sounds kind of strange to me... Confused
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