Thank you for your patience as pictures are loading.
Up, up, and away!
Once airborne, the hot air balloons filled the sky with color. The Mayflower balloon (pilot Kevin Knapp) was feeling patriotic and unfurled an American flag from the basket.
While back on the ground...
The Falling Star balloon (pilot Karen Brown) had the most difficult task of the day - giving tethered rides. Rising approximately 50 feet into the air, the balloon is secured to the ground by lines tied to heavy objects (usually cars). The pilot must repeatedly fire the burner to lift off the ground, allow the air to cool in the balloon to land and keep the two at a controlled rate to prevent sudden drops and surging lifts.
The envelope (the fabric portion of the hot air balloon) eventually wears out due to the stress of being heated by hot air and is taken out of service. The festival provided an opportunity for an unusual glimpse of a balloon, from inside the envelope. The balloon was laid out on the ground and large fans used to partialy inflate it. From there, people were allowed to wander inside.
I was able to get a couple of fantastic shots thanks to some enterprising volunteers who posed outside of the balloon, casting their shadows onto the envelope.
