It was a picture-perfect day for a balloon race at the National Balloon Classic, in Indianola, IA yesterday!
This national balloon competition attracts over 100 balloonists from all over the country to come to compete in a week long event.
We only had to drive about 30 minutes south through the gorgeous, Iowa countryside to get there!
Uhhh, one problem…we got there about 3 hours early. Rookie mistake!
The gates opened around 3 (earlier than the 4:30 sign said) but apparently it doesn’t take 3 hours to set up a hot air balloon for a 6:30 launch time…
Just us and the crickets for…a long time. ;)
Luckily the food vendors were already there, setting up shop. Yes!
We each got what is my hands down favorite “festival” food – corn dogs.
It’s funny how in the “real world” I wouldn’t dream of eating a corn dog, but it’s clearly assumed that I will be CHOWING down on one when present at a festival or fair!
It was piping hot outside, so we set up shop underneath a shady tree and settled in for the wait.
In about three hours, the crowd went from this:
to this! It grew larger and larger with each passing minute, as the anticipation of the balloon launch grew.
To kick things off, three balloons were inflated for people who had arranged/paid ahead of time to take a ride. Don’t know how I missed that boat.
The balloons are filled with cold air to get them inflated and standing upright.
They went up fast!!
When they’re just about ready to launch, someone lets a helium-filled balloon go so the pilots can get a read on wind speed and direction. See the tiny, red balloon?
As soon as the pilots were given the signal, they turned their cold air off, and fired up the flames. The air inside the balloon has to be 100-250 degrees hotter than the air outside the balloon, to lift the basket. Let me tell you, as soon as that air gets hot enough – those babies are off like little rockets!
This is no slow and gradual ascent, it’s – one second you’re on the ground, and the next, you are 100 feet in the air! Ben was completely nauseous at this point. (He is TERRIFIED of heights. Don’t worry, he got over it!)
After the passenger balloons took off, the competitors took to the field to lay out their balloons.
So the competition part? The “balloon maestro” – the guy who’s running the competition” – gives the balloonists a task before each launch (they launch twice a day.) Depending on how well they complete the task, they get a certain number of points. Whoever has the most points at the end of the week – wins!
Yesterday they were playing a game called hare and hound. There were two balloons that launched first – the “hares” – who went out into the countryside and dropped two bullseyes on the ground.
The task for each balloonist was to launch as fast as they could, find the “hare” and drop a beanbag as close to the bullseye as possible. The closer you get, the more points you get. FUN!!!
It was seriously like MAGIC how fast these balloons filled up and took off. They were materializing out of thin air and pop, pop, popped right off the ground! (I love this picture of Father + son!)
Up into the sky they went!
Dozens of them launching into the sky about every 15 seconds or so.
They’re all named too. Apparently you name hot air balloons like you do a boat!
Can you see the guys waving?! HA!
It was truly a spectacular sight seeing them float off into the distance, racing off to catch the hares!
Scarily – the balloonists can only control up and down motion, they basically have very little say in what direction they go. It’s all up the wind at that point!
Don’t they look like little UFO’s?!
Soon, the last of the balloons started to leave the ground. It took a good 45 minutes to get all 100+ of them into the sky. Magically, none of them bumped into each other!
Gorgeous!
It was such a clear evening that you could see them from miles and miles away.
It may have been a smidge on the dorky side, and Ben and I may have been the youngest people there without kids by, oh, 30+ years, but this was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. I got some info about possibly taking a ride this week, so we’ll see where that discussion goes!!!!!!!!!!!!! UPDATED TO ADD: I GOT MY RIDE!!
After all the excitement, ( ;) ) we came home and crashed. A day spent in the sun wears a girl and a guy out! Early to bed means early to rise, though. And I’m sitting here listening to the birds and the early-morning crickets with some toast and coffee.
Oh summer,
please don’t end!
Have a great day guys!!!
~~~~~
Do you have any dorky hobbies or interests?
I say, nothing’s dorky if YOU love it!!
Wow-amazing pictures! That event is definitely on my list for 2011.
OMG hot air ballooning scares me too. I’d be worried of falling out of the basket, of floating too far away. But the pictures are amazing. What a sight. I’d love to go and watch that too.
We used to have a “Lighter Than Air” festival in my home town every year. We didn’t have nearly as many balloons as yours did, but it was always so much fun to watch the balloons take off.
In terms of dorky interests I would have to say my penchant for collecting pens definitely puts me on the dorky side.
oh my – how wonderful!!!! The colours looks amazing! And I know what you mean about ‘carnival food’! I head straight for the “carny corn’ whenever I go to a festival!
That looks like a good day out to me, so clearly I am just as cool as you!! The photos are brilliant and really seem to capture the day.
Wow! That looks amazing and your pictures came out great! What an experience! Don’t worry, I drag my bf to tons of things that he always points out “did you notice we’re the only child-less couple here??”
I highly recommend booking a ride in a balloon. We went several years ago when in Albuquerque, as the sun was coming up! Great experience but Ben may want to watch from the ground-poor guy.
The photos you took are fantastic. I have always wanted to go ballooning.
My dorky hobby is I still really love science like in school. I read a lot of books about it.
oh my gosh these pictures are absolutely gorgeous! I love all of the balloons against the bright blue sky. I’m totally jealous!
I’m going to be teaching high school chemistry and physics this fall, so yeah, you could say I’ve got some dorky interests. :)
We have a balloon launch in our little town every fall, and they do the hare and hound game. If the wind is right, they come right over my house. I think they are so beautiful and peaceful – I’d love to ride in one some day, too!
OMGosh, those are soooo b e a utiful! Lovely. Seeing it in person must have been amazing!
wow! it’s so breath-taking!!! such a wonderful array of colours! i’v always wanted to ride in one but when i was in melbourne studying, it was too expensive for me to go on one.. i will attempt to now that i am self providing!
Wow, the hot air balloon races look like so much fun! Darn my living in North Dakota…we aren’t that spunky. I see maybe one every summer, but it always happens to be over in Minnesota. I might have to move.
My dorky hobby is definitely Harry Potter. I am a nut for that stuff! I go to midnight premiers of movies (and will wait in line from early morning until the showing that night). I celebrate Potter-related holidays. For instance, I watched the fourth movie with my bestie yesterday to celebrate Harry and J.K. Rowling’s birthdays. I can’t get enough of it for some reason. It’s my own personal nerdism.