| | the infohogs are up in the house...
I have company in the wee
hours today....dh is up surfing election results. He hasn't left
the couch all night. But I get good back scratches when I sit
next to him...making watching election results pure joy to me. 
day two of the festival...chasing balloons
When
we arrived at the park for the mass ascension, the balloonists were in
a meeting. Lots of little helium marker balloons were going up,
and showing the wind to be moving sharply to the northwest. So
instead of doing a mass ascension from the park, and immediately flying
into restricted airspace, the balloonists decided to launch from
various locations inthe south of town, and follow the wind currents
over the city. So it was balloon chase day for we spectators!
We found this balloon team at the mall, and parked ourselves to watch
them. Here, one team member is lighting the propane torch.
In a field across the highway, 8 other balloons
were going up en masse. They flew right over us. I never
grow tired of watching this!
Meanwhile, our team was working hard to get their balloon up...
..and they're on their way! Beautiful dreamcatcher design...
Before we left to resume the chase, we spotted FlameBuoyant, enjoying a skirt past the mountain.
We drove back into the heart of town, following the balloons.
This isn't something you see every day...balloons coming in over the
street! Keep an eye on that yellow balloon...
THis is about 75 yards up the street from the last shot..THey are
coming in fast! We are turning in to go see one balloon that has
already landed.
Holy Toledo!!! As we parked, the yellow balloon went right over
us...picking a spot next to the other balloon we came to see.
They were about 30 feet above our truck. Breathtaking goosebumps!
We resumed the chase to go back to the park. A few balloons
managed to land there..where they started from a few hours
earlier. TIme to pack up and go home...thank you, balloonists!
A friend of ours went chasing with us. He had a balloon story
from the day before. (the first day of the festival)
Another friend was home, when she looked up outside to find a balloon
landing in her back yard. The balloonist called down, "I'm coming
down!" She told him to come on down, and she helped them
out.. They had a nice visit, and the balloon team gave her a pin
(of their ballon) and a bottle of champagne for her trouble.
Balloonsits in general are well aware of the imposition they may cause
when they have to land on private (and public) property. THey are
at the will of the weather, and need to land safely...and are aware of
the safety of those on the ground as well as of their own
well-being. As our friend pointed out, having a good-natured
outlook on this imposition helps to keep ballooning alive.
Otherwise, they won't be able to fly. If all goes well (and it
usually does) there is no damage to property and their presence is
brief. It can be viewed as a special and exciting event to have a
balloon team drop in, and they try to make the experience worth the
while.
All the balloons that were over the highway in my shots landed safely
in the park, in empty ballfields surrounding the park, or in the empty
desert.
But that's it for ballooning till next October! We look forward to it again next year.
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| | Posted 11/3/2004 5:25 AM - 2 views - 2 comments
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