SR 14 open in both lanes for weekend

Weekly ODOT report on any coming traffic impacts from rockfall abatement work along SR14 in Washington:

“Work and lane closures on SR 14 near Dog Mountain (milepost 54) have been cancelled for Friday, July 30. Both lanes of SR 14 will be open to traffic Friday and over the weekend.

Find this information on the Web by visiting our SR 14 Rockfall Mitigation project traffic impact schedule.

What if beach access went bye-bye? Would visitors follow suit?

Washington has wrestled with parks funding in the past. In the current economic climate, state officials are again taking a look at the possibility of closing some state parks, including three very popular with visitors to the Gorge during the summer — the Spring Creek Hatchery, Doug’s Beach and Maryhill.

According to the Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association, a 2007 poll of 580 Gorge windsurfers showed that the Hatchery ranked the highest in use among Gorge beaches, followed by Doug’s Beach at 2nd and Maryhill at 6th.

This would be a kick in the teeth to the Gorge economy. No place to play? No reason to stay.

Learn more about how important these sites are to windsports fans, and some of the numbers behind the issue, in a report by Katie Crafts of the Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association.

Plan your travels for SR 14 next week

WASDOT crews install bolts in cliff along SR 14 near White Salmon to stabilize slope

Here’s the latest from Washington Dept. of Transport, regarding work on SR 14 that may affect your travels.

Traffic impacts for the week of May 8-14, 2010

Dog Mountain (milepost 54)

o   May 10-14, 9 a.m.-11 a.m.: Full CLOSURE of SR 14 for controlled blasting operations.

o   May 10-14, 6 a.m.-12 p.m.: Full CLOSURE of the Dog Mountain Trail and parking lot for safety precautions during controlled blasting operations.

o   May 10-14, 6:30 a.m.-9 a.m. and 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: When crews are not blasting, SR 14 will be reduced to a single lane, alternating directions with flaggers for rock removal and excavation work. Expect 20-minute delays.

o   May 8-14: During non-working hours, SR 14 will be reduced to a single lane, alternating directions with temporary traffic signal. Expect five-minute delays.

White Salmon (milepost 64)

o   May 10-14, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.: SR 14 will be reduced to a single lane, alternating directions with flaggers for slope stabilization work. Drivers should expect 20-minute delays.

Find this information on the Web . See more photos of project work on Flickr.

The Bad News, and Far BETTER Good News

I hear the whining all the time: If the damned media would just shut up about the economy, everything would be just fine. Check out the excellent piece in the Sunday NY Times, by its public editor, noting that despite numerous media warnings since 2000, we still drove ourselves into the ditch — banks printing bad paper, real-estate besotted buyers gorging on junk purchasing, and the government looking the other way.

So, the Columbia Gorge Hotel closes, and Oregon Business magazine sends a reporter to ask, “Is it true the Hood River economy is in free fall?” Well, no. We set her straight. Just to share, and thanks to Jamel Badrieh at the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce for sending this along, the Chamber compiled a list of business closures, and business startups, in recent memory. It’s worth noting that, along with all the slower activity, there’s plenty of optimism out there.

Submitted to Oregon Business Magazine
February 6, 2009

Closed Businesses within Past Year

• Columbia Gorge Hotel (temporarily closed)
• Isthmus Windsurf Shop (This company set up shop for a summer and realized there is too much competition for windsurf shops in Hood River. They are still in business online and have a store in Wisconsin.)
• Abruzzo Italian Restaurant (Editor’s note: A new restaurant, Sophie’s, has leased this space and opened.)
• Panzanella Bakery & Deli
• Hood River Chrysler Dodge-Jeep/Hood River Ford/Mercury (Space taken over by an automotive repair business.)
• Cliff Smith Motors – dealership for GM. (The current owner is now operating a used car business at the same site.)
• Red Fish / Blue Fish (children’s clothing retail; this space was taken over by Enchanted Alpaca retail shop about 8 weeks ago

New Businesses Within Past Year

• Kaze Japanese Restaurant
• The Enchanted Alpaca (retail alpaca wool clothing/coats/accessories)
• Café at Good News Gardening
• Dirty Fingers Bike Repair
• Bambino’s Child Care
• Center Pointe Bank
• The Candy Shoppe
• WAAAM (Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum)
• White Buffalo Wines
• Dog River Cycles
• Naked Winery
• Benjamin & Benjamin Art Gallery
• Ixtapa Mexican Restaurant
• Springhouse Cellars
• AVI Trucking
• Flying Jenny B&B
• Nora’s Table (opened in 2007 as Nora’s Fish House, but recently tweaked its name and menu)
• Columbia Gorge Community College
• Norman K. Vance Art Gallery
• Sparkling Creations – Jewelry (retail)
• Double Mountain Brewery (open for a little over a year, but thriving)
• Eclipse, a music education center
• Fifth Element Salon
• Jacob Williams Winery and Tasting Room
• Golf, Etc. (retail)
• Outdoor Toy Store (A new snowmobile sales/repair shop opened in the Hood River Heights area about a month ago.)
• Columbia Cliff Villas (18 luxury cliff-side villas and 10 carriage house units adjacent to the Columbia Gorge Hotel for lease as vacation rentals and units also for sale.)
• Cutie-Pie Consignment (children’s clothing retail)
• Farm Stand in the Gorge (New fruit stand and organic market to open in the Hood River Heights next week. The market will sell gourmet cheeses, quality organic meat, etc.)
• Columbia Gorge Title

If this list has somehow missed YOUR business, or if you know of others, let us know. We’ll keep setting the record straight.