An Evening of Hot Air Balloons

Up, up, and away, in a beautiful balloon. . . or so as the lyrics go.  Friday night, the skies of our city will filled with hot air balloons and we were literally in the middle of all of it.

We arrived at the park with a picnic dinner, well more of a cooler dinner.  We got a great place to park—backed in to make leaving after the fireworks much easier.  When we settled and ate our dinners, I sent text messages to the balloon race coordinators telling them that the Williams Family was at the park and willing to help with whatever they needed.

When the boy and the husband were done eating, they took off for a walk and discovered some geese nearby.

By the time they returned to our van, we were being paged to go help crew a balloon for the fun flight that evening, which would be followed by the Night Glow.

We headed off across the field ready to crew.  This is when we met Chris Reinhart from Alta—we crewed for him last year—click here to read more.  It was quick work to reacquaint ourselves and we loaded into his truck to find a spot to launch the balloon.

After checking out two different potential launch locations, it was decided that the winds were not consistent enough for safe flying.  The consensus was that the balloons with local sponsors would give it a try.  One balloon launched, went up almost a mile, and then came back down in almost the exact same location as it had launched.  The point was to try to get the ring off the pole in the middle of the fun flight field.  You can’t do that if the winds won’t carry the balloon in the right direction.

We headed back to the field and waited to get ready for night glow.

None of the balloons that did launch made it near the fun flight field.  Some years, there have been several who have made it close!

Soon, the chase vehicles were pulling into the field to launch balloons for Night Glow.  Night Glow is when most, if not all of the balloons set up on the field and then provide a spectacular sight for on lookers as they all “glow” at the same time.  It is incredible!

The Williams Family crewed or help to set up the balloon.  I was on the guide rope this year.  Careful, as the rope can pull you off the ground if you’re not careful!

Soon the balloons were all up and glowing. 

Some like to collect the balloonists' card throughout the Night Glow event.  The boy was no exception and gathered quite a few.

It takes some coordination to get all of the balloons to glow at the same time, but the event announcers make it all work!

After the Night Glow, we got the balloon down and put away.  No easy feat in the dark.

We made it back to our van for some cool drinks and snacks from the cooler with 5 minutes to spare before the fireworks.  It was a great evening.  Community, family, fun, and adventure!

We aren’t new to ballooning.  Click here to read about the boy’s balloon flight with the husband.

Click here to read about our first year of crewing.

Pro Hot Air Balloon Races

 Each year, our community hosts pro hot air balloon races.  And, for the last two years, we have volunteered to help crew a balloon.  Click here to read about crewing last year.

 We arrived at the event location just before 5:30 pm.  Got a great parking space--backed in to make getting out easier, brought a cooler of drinks and snacks, bug spray, chairs, a blanket, jackets, camera, flip camera, "glow" things for when it got dark, and cell phones.  We set up out location as to see the fun flight.  I also texted the person in charge to let them know we were here and available to help.

 Here come the balloon pilots back from the informational

meeting.  See the pole with the yellow flag?  That's the target,

along with the large yellow "X" on the ground for the fun flight.

Closest one. . . "wins"!

The phone rang a few minutes later. "Where are you?" After some direction giving and waving across the large field, we were told we were going to crew a balloon and to make our way across the field. OK, here we come.

We were introduced to our balloon pilot, Chris, from the NW portion of our state. He was traveling with his two small sons and the babysitter--who was too young to drive. He needed a balloon crew and a chase vehicle driver. Got it!

While we waited for our pilot and some of his friends to determine where we were headed to launch, we got the first balloons coming in for the fun flight.

 Ah, here's the first balloon over the horizon for the fun flight.  Corey, 17 year old pilot from Indianola, launched not too far from the field. 

 So close, but not close enough.  Interestingly, Corey and his crew will pack up the balloon and go launch again before the fun flight is over.  The only deadline is before sunset.

 Here come the next two balloons in for the fun flight.  The one on the right is Corey's cousin.  He will also launch his balloon again before the fun flight is concluded.

 Here's the boy videotaping the action.

Our location in the field, typically reserved for

pilots and crews, gave us great views.

  After waiting a while, we were off with Chris to find a launching spot for his balloon--Sweetness.  The boy and the husband were riding in the backseat while our pilot and his friends determined the best spot to launch.  Got a keep an eye on those winds!

 Watching other balloons launch helps too, as you can see if the winds are changing directions once the balloons get higher in the air.

Literally, our sky was covered with hot air balloons!

 We tried another location.  Our pilot, Chris, is the one on the far left.  The pilots are keeping a close eye on the other balloons.  But, the sun is starting to sink further into the horizon, so time is running out.

 We find a spot to launch the balloon.  All of us get to work--well sort of!

 The boy's first grade teacher and her husband just happen by the spot where we were launching the balloon.  By this time, the boy knows he is going up in the balloon.  She was taking pictures and videos for her daughter-in-law, who is from Korea and has no idea about hot air balloons. 

The husband's got the guide rope and the gloves.  Hold on tight!

Sweetness is about to be upright as Chris blows more hot air into the balloon.

The boy is ready for his second hot air balloon ride.  Click here to read about his first flight.

 Holding on tight!

And, there they go!  Up, up, and away in a beautiful balloon!  (I couldn't resist using those words!)

 The next part of the story involves me driving the chase vehicle, keeping track of the balloon and its location via radio, and getting to the balloon once it lands.  The following video may be helpful:

After packing up the balloon, we headed back to the field for Night Glow.  Our pilot chose not to set up his balloon for night glow, as the field already had LOTS of balloons going up.

 It's amazing to be in a field of balloons.  The sights and sounds are incredible!  While we have pictures, we also have video, thanks to the husband.  Check it out:

The evening ended with a fireworks display.  I discovered that my camera is smarter than I am when I tried out the "fireworks" setting.  It is amazing what you learn.

All in all, it was a great evening.  Beautiful weather, unexpected adventures, new friends and old friends. 

We're set to go again next year!

We Got To Crew A Hot Air Balloon

This week-end, Ottumwa, Iowa, is hosting its 33rd Annual Pro Balloon Classic and we got a chance to crew a balloon for Night Glow. The balloon and pilot, Kim Rosenboom from LeMars, Iowa, pictured below, were sponsored by OCP and OCCP. (Click here and here to read about our latest adventures with OCP and OCCP.) The festivities featured 46 balloon pilots from around the U.S.--most of them from Iowa.

Here's a license plate of one of the balloonists.

After the fun flight, more about that below, the pilots and crews pulled trucks and trailers around the perimeter of the open field and began the process of setting up their balloons for the Night Glow. Not all 46 pilots participate in the Night Glow. The requirement is to show your balloon on either of the two nights of Night Glow, unless you get a smiley face on your participation card. This means your balloon gets to be in Night Glow both nights.

Paula, Kim's wife, was the crew chief, and they both were able to direct us. After the basket came out, it was time to set up the poles and secure the cables. The big red bag in the trailer holds the balloon.

The basket get set on its side and the balloon is taken out of the bag and draped along the ground. The balloon is then attached to the basket.

The husband and I each hung onto a side of the opening of the balloon while the fan blew air into the opening to get the process of blowing up the balloon started. The size of the balloons is amazing! What was also pretty cool is the several balloonists were setting up their balloons all around us.

Time for some hot air. Kim directed the flames to heat up the air inside the balloon. Soon both the balloon and the basket were upright.

We discovered that many of the pilots of trading cards with information and stats along with a picture of their balloon. The trading cards get passed out to kids and adults. It is a calling card of sorts. Below are the trading cards for the Foofaraw, the balloon we crewed, and Hocus Pocus, the balloon of our friends Dale and Holly--organizers of the event. I have flown in Hocus Pocus, but that story if for another time.

The Night Glow lasted for several minutes and included music from the accompanying festivities in Greater Ottumwa Park. The song "Light My Fire" was playing as pilots synchronized the fires in their balloons. At several times, all of the balloons on the field were glowing.

We got to help take the balloon down. Kim let out some of the hot air and waited as other crews put away their balloons. Then it was our turn. Paula grabbed the rope and pulled the balloon on its side as Kim tipped over the basket. We used the "milker" and ties to get the hot air out of the balloon. Then it was time to put the deflated balloon back into the bag. That was a bit of an assembly line process with the boy sitting on the bag at the end to help get air out of the bag. Poles and cables came off the basket and the last item to be loaded into the trailer was the basket. All ready for the next flight. We thanked Kim and Paula for the experience. What a treat!

Dale's balloon Hocus Pocus--on the left--was in the fun flight. A multi-foot pole was erected in the middle of the landing field and had a $500 prize sitting on top. The balloon that retrieved the prize without hitting the pole, got to keep the $500. While a few balloons came close, no one got the prize. Only one balloon landed on the field.

It was fun to watch the balloons come over the tree line in an attempt to get the prize. Not all of the pilots and balloons flew in the fun flight, as the wind was a bit tricky.

Our vantage point on the side of the field gave us great views of the balloons.

Of course the boy talked his way into the balloon basket.

Next, he's hoping for a hot air balloon ride.

Here's Kim, the boy, and Paula enjoying the Night Glow festivities.

The field awash in balloons!