Wah! This didn’t get
published on the right date! See what
happens when you click a link and then forget to check it… There ya go.. A day
late and a dollar short.
This last week was a culmination of utterly strange things
that were so low key that they now don’t register.
The week ended up with the day after a very spur of the
moment two and a half hour run to Taos for the Taos balloon rally day 2.
We left at 4am and made it there by 630ish. Very good time
as the roads were pretty clear if not wet and a bit of fog thrown in for the
heck of it. Not a bad run all in all.
Arriving in Taos and to the launch field and parking area..
well muddy was the word of the day. Normally it’s a field of talc powder and
the fun that goes with that but this year it seems that it wanted to be muddy.
Not bad most areas but it wanted to be worse but couldn’t make up its mind.
Overcast was also the name of the day since the clouds were
bunched up against the Eastern mountains and not wanting to move. The sun did
try hard to break but it was after most balloons had settled to the ground that
the sun made an appearance. Bad for photography but good for temps.
Flying was dicey due to the location of the launch field to
the local pueblo….. The word was that if you landed on their land .. Even by an
inch it would be at least 100 dollars to access the area and probably 300 to
retrieve your system… I understand sovereign land and I have every respect for
it but this seems like a money grab. No.. it is a money grab. But.. Their land
their rules. It was heavy on many a person’s mind on the fly / no fly decision.
Fly they did once the pibal showed that you could get away
from that restrictive area. Since crew was short I lent a hand launching PITAS
KISS then Takach Another Breeze and even got to fly with Keith which was a nice
surprise plus gave me a wonderful perch to take pictures.
Keith was able to get up high enough and fast enough to grab
the 1kt Westerly and draw us away and into an area that was less prone to
running into bad things. On the way he took the time to do some target practice
and throw a baggie at Bob on the ground below us. Good hit just on the D panel
area. Must have gone “bong” to them on the ground.
I took about 806 shots with one cam and about 50 with the other ( fisheye ). It was so overcast that I had to really force the edits to get some color and lightness. I hate that.
I took about 806 shots with one cam and about 50 with the other ( fisheye ). It was so overcast that I had to really force the edits to get some color and lightness. I hate that.
Keith ran to a nice low wind heading almost exactly back to
the launch field but we popped over some power lines and landed in a field so
that his wife could fly and I could get some shots from the ground.
I did but still not great. A lot of balloons opted to move
and launch south and had good flights too. They also had no problem getting
back to where they took off from… or very nearby.
After Keith made it to within a hundred feet of his take off
area and we packed him away we sat around telling lies, eating some munchies
and drinking water, juice and other things.
Since the Parade was going to start and we wanted to visit
the plaza we drove off to do just that. With the parade imminent we were forced
to detour the area but in the end went in a huge circle taking us right back
though the area and ending up exactly where I wanted to park.
We walked the plaza and looked in shops and checked out
prices.. The Nambe store is my favorite… If I wanted that much shiny stuff in
my house I would buy a lot but don’t and didn’t.. it was still a nice walk… Few
pictures…. Been there.. done that…. We decided not to eat there and as the
parade by that time had passed we were able to jump in the truck and drive off
into the … well South…. Again it took us about 2 hours and 20 minutes…. A stop
in Espanola for gas and a break. Made it home.. unloaded all the gear… fed and released the doggie.... freshened up then went down to Sadie’s for a well-deserved Sopapilla…. I had
less than half because it was very very hot…. Tomorrow's dinner… yum. Home and
editing… the rest of the day was a fog… Sunday was editing what I thought were
worth the work. I think I came out with about 40 good enough shots.
Sundays flying was wonderful from what I heard and saw in others great pictures... about the same as Saturday
without the overcast… that meant the pictures taken were beautiful.. full of
color and light but no clouds… If you take pictures like that of balloons you
need a ground reference or they could have been taken anywhere. From the shots
I’ve seen so far there are some wonderfully referent pictures. Good job guys!
Next year I am hoping to be in the rally myself…. Less
chances to take pictures but more chance to get video…. And a chance to fly the
skies of Taos in my racer.
I spent the remainder of the weekend moving and copying
video files from Fiesta 2015. Duplication and verification takes a long time
when you ran three video cameras almost every day. We are talking lots of Gigs
of raw video. Still not finished but will hopefully tomorrow ( Monday ).
Some picture form Saturday.
A couple in wedding gear braving the mud to get photos against the balloons.. very weird.
Still at it while Bob poses for a shot.
Off Bob goes as the wind dummy.. his words... Classic Bob... Cool calm collected and on the roof.
PITAS KISS up and over. Really up and down and all around and then down then up and lastly down again.
Fav shot of Keith and Takach Another Breeze all in one shot!
Our helpers taxiing us towards the Southern fence line just to give us that added 100 feet of South.
Fantastic local peoples all the more happy to help out. If I see you again in a year and I get to fly and I dont have anyone else to fly that I have to I would fly you guys.
Off into the cloudy sky... then elevator up to about 800 ft to find a West wind... We did. Keith Did... I just kept snapping pictures hoping for a good shot... but that was a few back.
