About yesterday's plans or lack thereof. It rained. Not heavy; not severe storms or hail or wind or anything like that. But enough to 'dampen' most outdoor ideas. Time for a road trip. There are so many campgrounds around Red Rock that we figured a little tour was in order. We drove through four or five and then stopped at the Corps of Engineers visitor center. We picked up maps and brochures, plus a flyer for the Red Rock Balloon Fest. Normally, when we find something of that nature, it's for an event that took place last week or is coming up in a week or two.
Lo and behold, this was the weekend. A "launch" was scheduled for 6:30 at the North Overlook beach. We met some friends for lunch at a sports bar in Pella and returned to the campground for R and R, not sure what to expect of a launch or whether the weather would cooperate. It wasn't still raining but threatened to at any time. The weatherman had promised 'some clouds and some sun' for the day but so far we hadn't seen 'some sun.'
We arrived, set up lawn chairs and bought kettle corn because it seemed the thing to do at a launch. Six-thirty came and went, as did seven o'clock. We began to despair of seeing anything when the first balloons appeared over the tops of the trees to the east.
Lo and behold, this was the weekend. A "launch" was scheduled for 6:30 at the North Overlook beach. We met some friends for lunch at a sports bar in Pella and returned to the campground for R and R, not sure what to expect of a launch or whether the weather would cooperate. It wasn't still raining but threatened to at any time. The weatherman had promised 'some clouds and some sun' for the day but so far we hadn't seen 'some sun.'
We arrived, set up lawn chairs and bought kettle corn because it seemed the thing to do at a launch. Six-thirty came and went, as did seven o'clock. We began to despair of seeing anything when the first balloons appeared over the tops of the trees to the east.
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About eight balloons appeared in short order and we thought, "Cool!" One by one they would start to descend toward a hilltop just north of us and we assumed they were attempting to land, but each one would pull back up and head off to the northwest. Then another spectator explained that they were dropping markers trying to hit a target. By the time the first ones were completing this maneuver, more appeared to the east--in all over thirty total by the end of the evening.
In this photo, you can see the marker and, what looks like to me, the pilot's precarious perch. Yikes! It was quite a spectacle. And by the end of the evening, we did have 'some sun.' Chloe appeared somewhat interested to begin with but soon decided this was just more stupid human tricks.
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