Last Day of Balloon Festival

And there was mass ascension! This is what we have waited all week for, and realistically it was pretty great, worth the wait? Ya I think so…

Sunday morning, it’s a crisp 42 or 5 degrees, it will be another beautiful sunny day, here in Lake Havasu on the lake, the event Facebook page is showing the mass ascension this morning but they showed that for yesterday as well. But this is the day it actually happened I counted over fifty balloons in the sky this morning and Miss Laurie got the good photos, mine are poor at best. Today is the last day of the festival and the only thing I know for sure is that the fool directly behind me will run his Champion generator all day. Now we have ran our generator more than usual, but only once a day to make up for what the solar can not cover.

We are not heading out until tomorrow, we expect a lot of our neighbours will move today (we hope the generator guy leaves), we have a great view of the lake and some marvellous sunsets so I just figure there will be less traffic on Monday for our big move to the Quartzsite area. I think we are a little disappointed with out Balloon Festival experience, don’t get me wrong we totally understand so much of the event is controlled by the weather. It’s not an event that will make it back to our itinerary unless it was with a group, there is just too much time between festival events, sitting in the cold, drinking five dollar cans of beer, listening to mediocre country bands are just not our thing. A group would help fill in the gaps and there are lots of things in the area to check out.

Tomorrow we head south back down AZ-95 to the craziness that is Quartzsite, we have to do a little shopping first…you see we have a shopping list from the organizers of the Beaver Rally in Quartzsite, it is a four day rally with planned meals for breakfast and dinner, we are on team 2, to assist in meal preparations for Wednesday it is not an extensive list but there will be over fifty Beaver Coaches, which means there should be around 100 people for each meal, so it is a little bigger than it may sound st first. Our shopping list consists of simple items, 2 gallons of water, 2 red onions, Grands biscuits, 1 med picata, enough salad with dressing for eight, and a desert for eight as well, something to grill on the last night and last but not least an arm full of firewood.

Looking forward to our next adventure…stay tuned

Up, Up, and almost…

Saturday morning 7am, about 40 or 5 degrees and we are off to the mass ascension, or at least that was the plan. The sun is just peaking over the mountain range to the south east, there was no shuttle in sight so we hiked the mile and a half, as we get to the balloon field there is just one balloon being blown up, but a number of balloons were being laid out to be filled. Once the balloon is stretched out, a large gas powered fan blow air inside the balloon as the a couple of people hold the bottom of the balloon open. After the balloon is is partially inflated from the fan, the first heat from the propane burners is introduced and the warm air starts to help rise the balloon into the upright position which also stands the basket back upright as they have to lay it down to get the burners directed into the balloon opening.

As you can see it was an amazing sight, you can even get a glimpse of a unicorn shaped balloon in the distance between the big balloons, a number of balloon got set to ascend but only one actually lifted off from the field. You never seem to know what is happening or why it is or isn’t happening but as we watched a number of the balloon that looked like they were ready to ascend but now were dumping the hot air and lowered to the ground and then being folded back up. There were a number of balloons in the sky, but they had ascended some where else.

Well look who grew some balls and did the right thing, Iran has finally stepped up and admitted to doing what everyone else in the world already knew they had done…some fool with control got the jitters and shot down a commercial jetliner. Why does everyone in power always think they have to try and deny the obvious, I’m back to my theory that – one politician lies and there are half a dozen ass kissers lined up behind him and say it’s true – to this day if a politician is moving his lips he is most likely lying.