As dawn broke on a beautiful Saturday morning, I heard what sounded like bursts of rushing air in the distance. The sound was unfamiliar, but was growing louder, so I walked outside to investigate. Over the lake were hot air balloons, with more coming from the south. I snapped some photos and took movies with my cell phone.
The balloons were beautiful, and amazingly, it was easy to have a conversation with the balloonists. My neighbor Tom Ross, from his dock, greeted one balloonist with “beautiful morning!”, to which he replied “it is a beautiful morning”. I also replied to one balloonist’s greeting, which you can hear in the movie below. Several balloons descended low over the water, with one actually splashing into the lake before regaining altitude, laughing as water poured from the gondola. The movie is below, and if you’re impatient, skip to 3:17 into the movie to see the splash-down.
Wow, what beautiful shots. Loved watching the peaceful balloons floating by.
We used to have many sightings here until the land filled with new homes.
The chase crews are interesting too. They look small in the sky, but up close they are huge.
Gondolas looks so unsafe to be hanging over, but many enjoy the sights.
Our dogs bark continuously at the sound. Thanks for sharing. What a wonderful way to
start a day. mj
I was surprised when one balloon splashed into the lake. I didn’t see any chase crew, but a dog from the next lake over decided to chase the balloons and got lost during his pursuit, ending up at my neighbor’s house.