Oregon

[MAXIMILIANO]

At the end of this month my wife and I are going to Oregon for a "babymoon" vacation. We have never been to OR and the plan is to rent a car for 10 days and drive.... Of course I will bring kites with me. For sure we will stop in the Gorge for two days and then drive to the coast. Looking for some tips or ideas where are the best spots to kite at the coast. Also, any ideas of where to stay with great river/mountain or ocean views are appreciated.

Should I bring 9m/7m or 14m/9m?

Thanks in advance for all the info that you can provide us.

Max and Shayne

[Eric P]

Hey Max, Anna and I went to Oregon for our honeymoon and totally fell in love with Bandon and Lake Floras on southern Oregon. The lake is right on the ocean, and offers great smooth water kiting, then you can literally run with the kite in the air over the dune and get an ocean session in. Very cool city campgound with sites that look right over the lake and ocean for beautiful sunsets. I would definately suggest you go there. Basdon is a great town about 10 minutes from Lake Floras.

Have fun and bring small kites for the gorge, you will need them.

[TV]

Also bring the big stuff.

By the end of the month, the winds are becoming less consistent. I once traveled to the gorge over the labor day week and was skunked.

Hope you see lots of wind,
Tim

[Paul F]

Good info so far. I can add a couple ideas. Be prepared to drive a lot and enjoy the ride. The drive down the coast is always scenic.

The best views in OR are at Crater Lake, but you can not kite and it is a long drive.

Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood is a scenic drive from Hood River if there is no wind in the Gorge. You may be able to snowboard on the glacier.

[JRN]

We visited Mt. St. Helens & saw where the volcano blew. Worth a drive!

[Tighe]

Max,
I'm going to be out there from the 20-26th as well. Going to try and hit the Gorge and the coast. There are so many spots up and down the Gorge that are great. It really depends on the day. Doesn't always blow up and down the length of the river, watch the cloud line. Made the yearly pilgrimage every year to windsurf there in the 90s, though Have never kited there so will rely on the locals to show me around. There used to be a GORGE GUIDE available at retailers in Hood River. It identified all the locations with info on each. It was focused on Windsurfing, but may include kite info or there may be another such guide for kiting.

Paul is right, there usually is a bit of driving involved but the drives are beautiful...or find some spot you like and hang out. The coast is amazing and one could easily spend a lifetime there. Incredible forests, rough coastal cliffs and rock formations, massive beaches, quaint towns, etc etc. The water is cold on the coast though. I'm bringing a thicker wetsuit for down there.

If our trips overlap and you want to hook up while out there give me a shout out there. 651 dot 428 dot 4121

Mt St. Helens is cool, Portland is cool, Mountain biking out there is amazing, there are hikes you can do that will take you to waterfalls and secluded hot tubs, lots of things to do. enjoy the NorthWest

[MAXIMILIANO]

Thanks guys for all the info, very helpful!!

Tighe, we will not be out there until 8/30, too bad. If you have any good tips upon your return, would love to hear them.

Eric, I saw your pictures in the gallery. I'm even more excited now. Thanks for sharing!

I hope to post some places/tips when we come back. For now, I did a search and I found the following too;

http://www.southernoregonkiteaddicts.co ... Kiting.htm

http://www.nwkite.com/guides/hood_river_sandbar/

http://www.ridetheoregondunes.com/rentals-quads.html

http://www.destinationkiteboarding.com/ ... regon.html

http://www.localkitespots.com/kitesurfing/Oregon

http://windkitesurfing.suite101.com/art ... hood_river

http://www.ikiteboarding.com/kiteboardi ... gorge.aspx#

http://www.kiteboardingmag.com/article/ ... ver-Oregon

[Browbry]

I lived in P-town for 5 years and miss it! Max if you want some ideas of where to go I could make some suggestions to you as well. Like Tighe said the locals particularly in Hood River will always steer the wind enthusiasts in the right direction. Rowena, Doug's Beach, & Stevenson over on the WA side are some of my favorite spots . Make sure you cross over the Bridge of the Gods. Make a quick pit stop at Multnomah Falls. When you first get to Hood River find the Event site & if there's wind your bound to see kites in the air. Awesome idea?! Good for you man! - Bryan / 612.751.7737

[MAXIMILIANO]

Bryan, I will call you this weekend.

[Paul F]

The late summer and fall here is a lot like Minnesota in that sometimes the jet stream can move over us and the pressure systems come flying by. You can sail an east wind in the morning at Stevenson, WA and west wind back at Hood River in the afternoon. You can also get the winds 80 miles east of Hood River at Three Mile Canyon, OR that the locals love because of the huge smooth rolling swells. That is one reason I said be prepared to drive. Have fun and be sure to check for winds "out east".

[MAXIMILIANO]

Paul, thanks for the info.

[Arthur]

Max
Here are my tips:
Stay in Hood River more than 2 days. Great kite spot. Very charming town. Your wife will love it. Some very good restaurants too. Stay at one of the B&Bs which are cute and reasonably priced. Check gorgelodging.com.
Be sure to hit the spot called Rufus which is 50 miles east of Hood River up the Gorge. This is where Ruben Lenten does fifty foot kite double kite loops. It blows very hard often here and it can get very hard-core. Your wife would enjoy the ride but the beach is rocky and probably it wouldn't be much fun for her at Rufus. The current is strong and moves you upwind. The place was designed by the Gods for kiting.
Bring your small kites for the Gorge. At least a 7m2 and a 9m2. Bigger for the coast.
The coast is stunningly beautiful but can be a bit foggy. When the wind blows NW the seas are very heavy but there are some shielded areas. Be sure to coat the area around your crotch with white shark repellant.
IF you play golf, do Bandon Dunes on the OR coast. Haven't been there myself but it gets rave reviews.
Arthur

[MAXIMILIANO]

Thanks Arthur!

Very, very helpful info that you guys provided.

I think 3 days around Hood River and a little trip to Rufus. Then drive early in the morning to Floras lake and stay there 2 days, and then for the rest of the days drive north to the dunes of Florence, Newport, Lincoln City and Manzanita.

Not kidding about sharks!! Check the this out http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t-14851.html

We are still open to any other ideas! Since it is our "babymoon" trip (Shayne is 22 weeks pregnant) we want this to be fun and unique.....last trip for awhile

Thanks a bunch!!!

Max and Shayne