Up, Up and Away - Hot Air Balloon Festival Fun!

Oct 7th Up, Up and Away – Hot Air Balloon Festival Fun!

Okay, okay, I know I’m late and that the Colorado Springs Balloon Festival was a Labor Day

festivity. But the exciting feeling of watching those beautiful balloons lift off is still with me. This morning as yellow and orange spread across the horizon, the whoosh of a patchwork color pink, purple and blue hot air balloon in the clear azure sky above my house reminded me of the festival. I stood in the back yard watching the balloon as my dog stood by my side boofing quietly unsure what to do about the object invading her airspace.

Now, I am not — nor have I ever been a morning person. But the draw of breathing in the crisp, cool morning air and watching the early assent of a cadre of colorful balloons in a variety of different shapes was just too much. So with one eye nearly open and the other squinted my husband and I piled into the truck. We stopped at a favorite fast food restaurant to grab a breakfast sandwich to go with our orange juice and hot chocolate then headed for the park where the festival is every year.
Finding a place to park was a challenge, but finally through the dusky morning we suck in a breath at the scene unfolding before us. Multitudes of brightly colored balloons are spread across the grass, slowly filling with air heated by the flames from their burners. The first one to lift off is bright yellow with multi-colored squares, followed closely by the rest of the group. Then it’s the splash and dash, where the pilots float down and skim the balloon’s basket on the water of a nearby lake then regain altitude.

Wide varieties of venders offer their wares to the throngs of spectators throughout the morning. A beautiful pair of turquoise and coral earrings in the shape of a balloon found their way into my possession. Then we were walking back to our truck and the multitude of projects that awaited our attention at home.

The memories of this once a year festival remain with me throughout the year, especially when I don my beautiful balloon earrings or hear the whoosh of a hot air balloon as it floats over our home.
Have you attended a balloon festival or ridden in a hot air balloon? I ‘d love to hear about it. Leave me a comment.

**Next week check in for part one of a three part series of Haunted Colorado High Country. Until then, have a great week and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!