Amazing.
This year was amazing. I said it was amazing! We went up on Thursday making it a three day weekend and three days of flying. We got the three days of flying but the glow was a crazy night of frisky windages and no glow for me.
We were given a lovely condo in the middle of the Angel Fire Ski area.
Angel Fire off the ski season is a select, calm, quiet, fully enjoyable venue. No.. not a venue.. a town of great people who enjoy ballooning as much as balloonists love this great town.
Each day we flew had some novels things I could speak of and each day it was nice weather to fly if a little skewed.
Its a valley and on each side hills and mountains full of trees. You have to stay in the valley and that makes for some novel flying. Every bit of it was fun.
One of the things that made it a great rally were the people who showed up to observe and volunteer to crew.
For us those wonderful people were....
Ipa and Tina, Dutch residing in Portugal and camping through the Continental Americas who crewed for us all three days and the glow.. What can I say... wonderful people who were eager to help with anything and everything, asked for nothing but to enjoy the time. I was able to fly thing on a short hop Sunday. From the field to the edge of a church in the pines. Wonderful fun.
Dale and Gwen from the Northern part of Texas.. So north its the arm pit of Oklahoma ( their words )..
Owners of the Condo we stayed in and their children who we flew on Friday... Jamie and Lance and their parents too... And our sponsors from the Peoples Bank of Taos of whom I have their names in my mind a second ago and voom its gone. Ill post that later but they know who they were... and also the parents and good friends of a co worker who didn't tell me they were going to be up there and so I couldn't fly them.. LOLOL.. but I will fly them!!!
Then our crew from Albuquerque, Rory and Hannah who drove up to be our Professional Anchor team of which were immeasurably needed.. and my Brother Nick who bounced in for Saturdays launch and made that day smooth as glass.
This was a family ( short Daughter Son In Law and Granddaughter ) rally and my Son was up with his balloon and Nick for his anchor team. He has crew volunteers from the local area and even went to a concert and met more balloon enthusiasts who came out and helped a couple of days. He had some fantastic flying and it was a hoot to get out flown by him.
Pictures were hard to shoot due to the novel shifts of the wind and flying at 8400 feet. I think it was a bout 350 total of three days.
Below are the few I have had time to remove dust specks from and clean up a tiny bit. Comments on each.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial chapel.
Huey.
Back of the chapel.
The Condo.
Fires in the mountains...
Solitary
Target Fixation.
Riding the other level.
Cruising the edge of the forest.
Free Fire.
Mojo Close up while they were not paying attention.
Low and slow.
Ridge running.
One hell of a group of people!
So 350 plus pictures and a few edited. and now its super late in the day that started super early after a super super late day.... guess I am far too tired to go on about all this. Stay tuned for next weekends continuation of this story.
Id say Cheers but it will be more like.. Snores.
