At the Balloon Festival

Some of Kristina's friends were going to the Syracuse Balloon Fest and we were invited to go along. Kristina's friend Heather has hot-air balloon connections in Iowa, so we got an insider's look at what was going on.

On an unrelated note, before things started we were down by the lake in the park, and a float plane landed and then took off again:
Float Plane

We got to sit close to the action. Here's one of the first balloons going up, the people in the foreground with the rope are trying to keep the balloon from rolling around too much while it is being inflated. (It was pretty windy out). Balloon Inflation

Here's that balloon once it took off:
Balloon in Flight

There were around 30 balloons in total.
Balloons in Field

Hot Air Balloons

Hot Air Balloons

It costs around $150 for a flight, so needless to say Kristina and I didn't go on one (at least not this time).
Hot Air Balloons

This balloon didn't have a basket, it's just a chair with some propane tanks attached:
Balloon Chair

After dark some of the balloons came back and they'd make them glow:
Night glow


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