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OREGON
RECREATION AND WEATHER RESOURCES
Diane
Ferris, Portland Community College for OASIS
Project, 1997-1998
In Oregon, only
baseball games are postponed due to rain. All other
outdoor events are advertised with a special
postscript:
"This
event will take place rain or
shine."
The implication is
to be prepared. Campers pray for sun, but pack rain
gear and plastic tarps for the inevitable rain
squall or Oregon deluge. Highway travelers keep
traction devices handy when their route crosses the
Coast Range or Cascade Mountains.
The Internet is a
great source of information about recreational
activities in Oregon and elsewhere around the
world. The Internet also provides current weather
information. This helps the weekend adventurer and
outdoor enthusiast to at least try to be better
prepared. This is especially important when the
recreational activity or location has an element of
danger or a potential for sharp weather
contrasts.
Here are some
scenarios that might confront any Oregonian. Choose
a situation; use the Internet sites to find out
information and answer the questions! Enjoy this
virtual opportunity to plan and live like an
Oregonian!
Oregon Travel
Scenarios
#1 -- You've
been invited along on a three-day raft trip on the
Rogue River between Galice and Agness. The trip is
tentatively set to start in two days, pending
favorable weather conditions. The group is aware
that heavy rainstorms rapidly swell the river,
making it dangerous for rafters to maneuver through
some sections of the river. No agency officially
closes the river during inclement weather, so it is
up to the rafters to be knowledgeable about the
potential for danger.
Use the list of
Internet weather and recreation addresses to gather
information!
- Use MapBlast or
an Oregon map to locate Galice and Agness and
get driving directions.
- Investigate a
whitewater rafting site to get an idea about
what to pack for the trip.
- Check the long
range weather forecast for the area.
- Check the
satellite picture for incoming storms and
weather warnings.
- Check the river
levels.
- What weather
predictions can you make for the raft trip? Does
it appear that the weather will be suitable
during the next three days? Would you suggest
any precautions? Should you go at this
time?
#2 -- You
and your two best friends who now live in Oregon
City have set aside this weekend for a get-together
at Mt. Hood. However, if the snow conditions are
poor, you prefer that the group go to the coast
where you've been offered the use of a small cabin
near Lincoln City (this is on the coast). Your
friends don't want to go to the coast if the
weather is going to be stormy.
Use the list of
Internet weather and recreation addresses to gather
information!
- Check the
long-range weather forecast for the two
destinations.
- Find out the
current snow conditions at Mt. Hood.
- Check road
conditions between these sites and Oregon
City.
- Check the ocean
buoy site for marine information.
Using the
results of your findings, decide whether your
group ought to rendezvous at Mt. Hood or Lincoln
City or reschedule the get-together. Then write
a short, but persuasive, note to your friends to
inform them of your findings and your
recommendation.
#3 -- Your
uncle, an experienced Massimo mountain climber, has
invited you and your cousins to climb Mt. Hood.
Everyone plans to meet in the day lodge at
Timberline, near the climbers' registration area at
2:00 a.m.on Saturday. A snow cat will drop the
group at the top of the Palmer chair lift to begin
the ascent about 3:00 a.m. If all goes as planned,
the group should reach the summit by noon on
Saturday. The descent will be a little quicker --
about three hours to get back to the lodge.
Use the list of
Internet weather and recreation addresses to gather
information!
- Check the long
range weather forecast for Mt. Hood.
- Find out the
current snow condition and avalanche
possibilities for Mt. Hood.
- Check road
conditions between Mt. Hood and your home in
Portland.
- If you've never
been to Mt. Hood, use MapBlast to get driving
directions from your house to Timberline
Lodge.
Using the
results of your findings, decide whether this is
a good weekend to climb the mountain. Why or why
not? Describe your reasoning.
#4 -- You
have out of state guests for a week, and you'd like
to show them the scenic Columbia River Gorge. You
plan to make stops at the usual tourist spots:
Multnomah Falls and Bonneville Dam. You've decided
it would be fun to have a picnic lunch where you
could watch the colorful windsurfing just west of
Hood River. A windsurfing colleague has advised you
that she looks for weather forecasts showing a high
pressure over the gorge, with winds at about 15
mph. Good weather and a gentle wind would make the
trip a day to remember.
Use the sheet of
weather and recreation Internet addresses to gather
information!
- Check the long
range weather forecast for the Hood River
area.
- Find out the
wind direction and wind speed within the
Columbia Gorge.
- Check road
conditions between Troutdale and Hood River for
any travel advisories.
- Using the
results of your research, decide which day, if
any, appears to be the best day to make the
trip.
Internet
sites for Oregon Recreation and Travel
Scenarios:
Maps and Driving
Directions:
Mapblast -
http://www.mapblast.com/mblast/index.mb
Mapquest -
http://www.mapquest.com/
Recreation
sites:
Central
Oregon Recreation Watch - http://corw.com/
Oregon Travel
Advisor - Oregon State Department of
Transportation: http://www.odot.state.or.us/travel
Travel guide to
cities (Oregon) - http://cnn.com/TRAVEL/CITY.GUIDES/US/Oregon/
A good source of information about Southern
Oregon vacations and the Rogue Wilderness
area.
River data and
information:
Columbia
River Gorge Weather Page - http://www.gorge.net/business/gravwell/weather/
River Basin
Predictions - http://nimbo.wrh.noaa.gov/Medford/hydro/index.html
Rogue River
predictions - http://www.wildrogue.com/report.htm
Salem, Oregon
Weather and Road Conditions (also river levels):
http://www.oregonlink.com/weather
USGS Water
Resources of Oregon&endash;Current Data on
Streams and Rivers - http://wwworegon.wr.usgs.gov/rt-cgi/gen_tbl_pg
Road
Conditions:
Oregon
Travel Cameras, Oregon State Department of
Transportation: http://www.odot.state.or.us/travel/index.asp?G=oregon&I=cam
Road Report by
Toll-free phone: 1-800-977-6368 (Keep this
number handy when the Internet isn't
available.)
Skiing
Information:
Ski Mt.
Hood - http://www.skihood.com/snowpack.htm
Go Ski -
http://www.goski.com/oregon.htm
Westwide
Avalanche Network - http://www.avalanche.org
Weather
sites:
Central
Oregon Recreation Watch - http://www.corw.com/conditions.html
National Weather
Service, Oregon Reports - http://www.nws.fsu.edu
Salem, Oregon
Weather and Road Conditions: http://www.oregonlink.com/weather
The Weather
Underground - http://www.wunderground.com/US/OR/
Wind Conditions
(see also the general Oregon weather
sites):
Call of the Wind,
Columbia Gorge - http://www.windcall.com/reports/
Click
here for this lesson's "Notes to
Instructors"
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