Hood River, OR

The men (and women?) shown here are all up in the air.

They may not know where I spent my Fourth. So they are not up in the air on that.

But they all know where they spent the Fourth: Pulled along the surface of a wind-swept river at high speed and sometimes...if they work it right...up in the air on a kiteboard.

It looks hard. And marvelous.

Better than skate boarding. Better than snow boarding. Better than sand boarding.

Better than a man flying a kite:

A kite flying a man!

If only I hadn't been born 40 years too soon!

A little closer view:

One up and one down:

One up and one down:

Here is a great big HINT as to the location of these kiteboarders --

the mountain in the background of these photos:

For more hints to help you solve this mystery, go to

my three earlier blog posts

asking the same critically important question:

So, where did I spend my Fourth of July?

Here are 17 little hints and two big ones:

And 20 more little hints:

One little and one very big hint:

One hint up front and lots more behind:

Coloring up the hints:

What's behind the hospital flag on the near horizon? A big HINT:

Only a few years ago this would have been the dominant presence here on July 4:

Now he has lots of competition in this famous place:

Now these guys dominate the water and the airspace:

An old HINT in the distance, a new hint in the foreground:

Kindly watch my lines as well as your own:

Skiing, not walking, on water:

Cutting across the river under full sail...er...kite:

My kite is prettier than your kite:

Think they will collide? Do we have a turf ...er..surf...battle here?

So where did I spend my Fourth?

The 83rd annual Hood River County Fair runs July 22-25, 2009

Bring your kids to the fair for plenty of fun! carnival rides, food, entertainment, displays, music, exhibits-both 4-H and open class, horse shows, animals and livestock. The Hood River County Fair is located at the fairgrounds in Odell, Oregon about 6 miles south of Hood River.

The summer Movies in the Park season has started at Jackson Park in Hood River. The movies start at dusk on Saturday nights through August 22, 2009. Movies in the Park is free and open to everyone. There will be no movie on July 25th as it is the weekend of the Hood River County Fair. Here are the dates and movies that will be shown.

• July 11, 2009- Big
• July 18, 2009- Neverending Story
• July 25, 2009-No Movie- Hood River County Fair
• August 1, 2009- King Kong
• August 8, 2009- Sleepless in Seattle
• August 15, 2009- Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade
• August 22, 2009- Ratatouille