balloons, part 2...

...occurred this morning when I got up at five o'clock to drive back up to Harris County. Serving as a volunteer to be useful at Callaway Gardens: for day two of the weekend long Balloon Fest. Where balloonists, maybe a dozen or so, would tether their wicker baskets to several vehicles (three seems to work well) and offer pedestrians rides up in the air as far as the rope would allow. Hang suspended for several minutes as the air in the canopy slowly cools, then gently drift into the arms of gravity. Ten dollars for adults, five dollars for anyone under age ten, including babies and dogs.

I got there in the dark.. It was about 7:30 before the first of the balloons inflated ,(having learned last night to never use the term 'blow up!) It had a big REMax sign on the side so was obviously there as advertising/commercial for real estate sales. Probably half a dozen were inflated and offering rides, when the wind picked up, and pilots began to feel it was unsafe to lift off. So though there were possibly well over a hundred people waiting in line to make a five minute tethered ride, the balloonists began to deflate and let the balloons slowly settle back into the grassy field.

It's not an instant process, takes time and manpower to accomplish. The basket has to be safely anchored before you can open the top of the canopy and let the air escape to collapse the balloon. In an open area without buildings or trees that otherwise might cause damage to the very expensive synthetic material. Otherwise the envelope will come down on top of the pilot in the basket, or other passers-by, possibly tearing holes in the balloon. A co-volunteer was telling me that one of the balloons on the beach last night was damaged by the propane burner, causing the balloonist and crew to not be able to inflate. They just loaded it back up into the trailer. Maybe left instead of devoting their weekend to wasteful occupation of observing.

I was there until around 9 a.m., when the pilots concluded the wind was sufficient for the balloons to be risky. Even though the passengers were required to sign a release/waiver before getting into the basket, there is, I suppose, more than enough liability to go around, and the risk of damage to life and limb, as well as high-priced equipment not worth taking a chance as the weather changes.