Hot Air Balloons

Happy Labor Day!

When we first moved here we heard of the Balloon Festival on Labor Day when it was too late to attend. Then the next year we forgot about it. Then they cancelled it for a couple of years and this year when I heard it was back on, I just knew I wanted to see it before it disappears again. So, I talked my dad, my husband, and my youngest son into going with me. We left at 6:30 a.m, and arrived just in time to see this site below. I was afraid we might have been too late.

But no, that was just the first wave, leaving at 7.

We just needed to go over a small hill and here were the crowds and the balloons.

It was soo neat to watch them being pumped up with hot air.

Then they'd just take off right above us whenever they were ready. Maybe there is an order, but I'm not sure.

 This one got all pumped up and never took off. We saw a few of those, and felt bad for them.

 But more just kept on going. 

 Some of them were characters. I was surprised how easily the dragon stayed afloat as it was unusually shaped.

 And then we saw Yoda and Darth Vader. We were excited to watch them take off, but after twenty minutes or so they were deflated and didn't go up. Too bad. It was a perfect day. Not too windy but windy enough. Mild temperatures. Really we couldn't have asked for anything better for us but apparently something wasn't working for them.

 Then about 7:40 as we standing watching all the action, a group just started setting up their balloon right in front of us. They'd kindly asked the crowd on both sides to give them some space, and just unrolled it and made it happen.

 Meanwhile the other balloons just kept on going. The black constellation one was interesting. I wondered it being so close to the one on its left would cause a problem but it didn't. Soon it just floated upward.

 This had been 2nd on the right and then it just lifted up. I really liked the patterns on this one.

 This one drew applause from the crowd. A USA flag, a Colorado state flag, and three other flags I didn't recognize were all hanging off the side of it.

 Then the one that had been right in front of us was ready to launch. It took less than 20 minutes from unrolling to airborne.

 Up, Up, and Away. This was the I [heart] Radio Media balloon. 

 It was the first and only one we saw that actually went over the crowd, then touched gently down onto the lake beside us and then rose again. It also drew applause from an appreciative audience. Certainly there is some risk with touching down over water, but slowly and carefully they made it.

I loved this balloon also. I was concerned it might not clear the trees but it did and then it stayed up high for a long time, even as we were walking back to the car a little before 8:30. What beautiful creativity was used on them all. There were at least 40 balloons we saw, perhaps more. Its not Albuquerque but it'll do for our hometown festival. I loved it!