in a town called "Hope." That's where this weekend's hot air balloon event is. The t-shirt says this is the 8th year for hot air balloons to gather in Hope in July. It's a low-key event, with about 8 balloons, and some very nice pilots.
The promotion of the balloon event really focuses on the balloon glows on Friday and Saturday, and on the tethered rides that are available. The problem was that the pilot that normally provides those tethered rides couldn't be here this weekend! I volunteered to pilot the tethered rides, if I could use someone else's balloon; an offer which was accepted.
So, last night, we picked the spot for the tether, set up the balloon and tied it off to three vehicles. The wind was really calm, so flying at the ends of the ropes was pretty easy. Getting many people in and out of the basket was less easy. Passengers ranged from young children, a few of whom were afraid of the noise the burner makes, to older people who had great difficulty climbing into and out of the basket.
Everyone who rode had a great time, with several imagining how wonderful it must be to fly in the balloon without the tethers, and a few imagining how frightening it would be. I have to say that it's mostly wonderful, and only a tiny bit frightening!
This morning, we set out to the park to fly. After cobbling together a crew, we inflated and launched. The winds were calm and very steerable, and my passenger, John, and I had a great flight, landing gently in a field north east of town. The chase crew was there when we landed, and we packed up and returned to town without incident.
Another glow and tether tonight before we head to ElDorado, AR for a morning static display at a church Sunday morning. I'm looking forward to our upcoming vacation so I can get a bit of a break from my weekend ballooning!
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