Balloons, Balloons

tanjabrittonwriter 59 Comments

It’s Saturday, the last day of August, and I’m watering our flower garden. When I look up, I see at least ten hot air balloons glide through the sky on this calm morning. Of course, it’s Labor Day weekend, which means the annual balloon fest is in the air. Colorado Springs has hosted an annual hot air balloon celebration since 1977 at Memorial Park, and even though its survival was tenuous after 2015, when the organizers of the “Colorado Balloon Classic” decided to pull out, it was resurrected as the “Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off.” I have only witnessed this event from afar, but today I resolve to get a more immersive experience.

Sunrise at Prospect Lake in Memorial Park

And so it is that my husband and I find ourselves at Memorial Park on the first day of September by 6:30 AM, following the stream of fellow early risers to the launch area. There are many families with kids, some of them still in pajamas. We see people walking, standing, lounging on blankets on the grass, napping or resting in camp chairs. The atmosphere is festive, with an air of heightened expectation. At 7 AM, the anticipation grows palpable and cheers can be heard as the first balloon begins to inflate amid the spectators.

Crews have prepared the balloons by spreading them out on the ground, attaching them to their baskets, and getting all the other equipment in order. Electric fans fill the balloon envelopes with air and then, with a whoosh, burners inject flames into the balloons to help heat the air to make the fabric rise. Once there is sufficient hot air inside the balloon, it will take off with the pilot (and paying guests) in the basket, to the cheers of the crowd. This happens over and over, like a well orchestrated ballet. We are amazed at how closely people (and not a few dogs) intermingle with balloons and trucks and other equipment, but it’s wonderful to watch the entire process unfold smoothly thanks to supervisors who clear the areas surrounding a launch site and communicate with the pilots via whistles.

Getting the balloons ready to launch

Balloon in the process of being inflated

Inflated balloons ready for take-off

It is no wonder why folks flock to this affair. Despite the early hour, the traffic, the multitudes, everybody seems happy and chillaxed. The setting is spectacular, with the mountains lining the western horizon under the auspices of 14,115-foot tall Pikes Peak, and Prospect Lake’s calm surface mirroring the cloudless late summer sky. Starting out in the 50s, the morning carries cool promises of approaching autumn. And the balloons are fun, full of color and cheer. As they rise, our spirits soar with them. Not surprisingly, it is the unusually shaped and hued balloons that are perennial crowd favorites, and this is true not only for kids, but for all of us who forever remain kids at heart.

Airborne balloons rise lantern-like into the sky

Pretty pattern

Do you see the dolphin, stingray, and seahorse?

To enlarge a photo, click on it. To read its caption, hover cursor over it.

Pig
Elephant, named “peanut”
Friendly monster
Ballooning bee
Raccoon, named “The Bandit.” He did not get to take off on the day of our visit.
Fancy lady with fruity head wear

Balloons floating above Prospect Lake (some take brief dips, not captured in my photo)

We don’t count, but the organizers of the Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off advertise the launch of about 70 balloons each morning. While this is not the largest nationwide balloon event, it is the “longest-running and largest in the Rocky Mountain Region as well as in all of Colorado.” The uncontested honor of being the largest, not only in the nation but the entire world, goes to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico. It takes places each October over the course of a week and boasts over 500 balloons. Of course, Albuquerque invites everybody to travel to our neighboring state to the south to experience what’s on offer. So if you find yourself in New Mexico in October, you might want to check it out.

Visit Albuquerque Balloon with Pikes Peak in the background. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta will take place October 5 until October 14, 2024.

According to Wikipedia,

The hot air balloon is the first successful human-carrying flight technology. The first untethered manned hot air balloon flight was performed by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d’Arlandes on November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, in a balloon created by the Montgolfier brothers. The first hot air balloon flown in the Americas was launched from the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia on January 9, 1793, by the French aeronaut Jean Pierre Blanchard. Hot air balloons that can be propelled through the air rather than simply drifting with the wind are known as thermal airships.

59 thoughts on “Balloons, Balloons”

  3. What a great sight, particularly against a cloudless blue sky. Best viewed from the ground, though, as I don’t think I’m brave enough to go up in a hot air balloon. My favourite is Pig; do you have a favourite of your own?

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed the balloons, Mr. P. My husband and I just discussed how the world would look like from a balloon. I might need to find out for myself, I think he shares your reservations.
      Picking one favourite is a challenge. I like the pig, but also the elephant, the bee, the raccoon, and the woman’s head with all the fruit. We watched the fruit come to life before we knew that it would turn into a head cover, that heightened our anticipation.

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  12. Ich finde, das ist ein ganz wunderbarer Bericht, aber ich mag keine Heißluftballons, weil meine Hunde in Panik gerieten und viele Tiere wie Pferde zum Beispiel ebenfalls.
    Aber sie sehen wirklich toll aus, liebe Tanja.
    Das erste Bild ist atemberaubend schön.
    Liebe Grüße Brigitte

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  15. I’m not so fond of the ‘character’ balloons, but I do love the traditional shape, and the beautiful designs many of them carry. There was a similar event here for years called the Ballunar Liftoff Festival, put on in conjunction with NASA. I always loved watching the balloons lift up over the lake from my balcony. Sometimes, there was extra excitement when the winds rose or shifted and the balloons would come down in unexpected places!

    I’m so glad you were able to attend this one. Your photos are wonderful; the really communicate the fun of the event.

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    • Thank you, Linda. I agree with you. The character balloons are entertaining, but the traditional balloon shapes are also lovely, when they came in a range of different color combinations.

      How nice that you are able to witness the Ballunar Festival from your balcony. You could charge for a seat. 😊

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    • Thank you, Maria. I also find the balloons attractive. As do many people, residents and out-of-towners alike. I don’t know if anybody has tried to figure out how many of the visitors are local versus from other places, but there is no question that some people come expressly to experience the event.

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    • Thank you, Ann. Uplifting indeed, both literally and figuratively (I’m sure that’s what you meant). 😊

      As I wrote a little earlier, I wouldn’t mind being uplifted literally by one of these balloons, but I might want to carry a parachute for back-up!

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  22. Das sind ja wirklich fröhliche Bilder von bunten und auch fantasievollen Ballons. Wunderschön am blauen Himmel. Bei uns wird man geadelt, hat man eine Ballonreise gemacht. Mit Urkunde, ich bin die Gräfin vom Oldenburger Land 😉
    Liebe Grüße
    MAren

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  23. So beautiful! Smart of you to view from the ground. I think they look beautiful but a harrowing crash for my patients has rid me of ever wanting to get in a basket. 🙁

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    • Thank you for stopping by and commenting, Jill. I’m sorry to hear that one or some of your patients crashed and I hope they have recovered, both mentally and physically. I still toy with the idea of giving it a try some day but am in no hurry. Luckily, all went well during this most recent event.

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  25. Ich liebe diese Ballons .. und du hast eine so wunderbare bunte Serie gesehen .. Ich möchte gerne mal wieder eine Fahrt machen .. es ist leider nur sehr teuer .. also bleibt das Zuschauen und sehnsüchtig mit Blicken verfolgen 🙂

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    • Herzlichen Dank für den Kommentar. Diese vielen Ballons auf einmal zu sehen hat natürlich besonders Eindruck gemacht. Ich hoffe, Du kommst irgendwann zu Deiner Ballonfahrt. Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob ich mich irgendwann mal dazu trauen werde. 😊

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  26. Wow! Hot air balloons fit in the category of impressive to watch … from the ground – there is absolutely zero chance of getting me to actually go up in one barring chloroform. I like the Raccoon the best – or as Linda calls it, the Trash Panda ha. FYI, a fellow blogger Tim at Off Center & Not Even always captures the Albuquerque balloon fest in one of his annual October posts – https://offcenternoteven.com/2024/10/05/brain-in-the-branches/

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    • Thank you.
      So far, I have only watched the balloons from terra firma and I’m also a bit hesitant but still curious enough that I might give flying in one a try some day.
      Thank you for the link to THE balloon fest in Albuquerque.

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