How to blow up your balloon........

I am like the little kid that went to the circus who when arriving home couldn't contain himself in telling about everything he had seen. He mumbles and jumbles and can't say anything fast enough. I am going crazy wanting to tell you everything at once, but I am going to suffer through and restrain myself and just break it down into parts.

This was the fist time my wife and I had ever attended the National Hot Air Balloon Classic. It has been held every year for 41 years barring one year they wouldn't let them have the contest.

We are sitting on a hill with all the others watching the beginning of the inflating of a balloon.  They place a large fan at the opening of the balloon and proceed to blow normal temperature air into it. The balloons had been unrolled out on the ground just like we pull out a balloon to blow into.

The fan continues to inflate the balloon. Note the portable toilet down there in case the crew needs one. The tent and other structure is where you can pay $125 to take a balloon ride.

At some point as the balloon is being filled with air, the switch over to the burners that are mounted on the basket.  The basket is laying on it's side and it heats up the air to give it lift.  Also there is a rope at the top of the balloon that a person or two people are hanging onto to help keep it in good shape.

Here is a close up of the balloon and compare it's size to the man at the left bottom of the balloon opening.

This is getting to be almost fully inflated.  What you can't see is the gentle breeze that is rolling it back and forth a little on the ground.  Can you see the man in the front?  He is going to be squeezed a little but it apparently doesn't hurt him as he just stays there.

A distant view again of something I haven't  shared with you yet.  They are actually blowing up two exact balloons at the same time and you can see the other one peaking around the corner. We could not see it at first because the first balloon was filled faster or sooner.  It blocked the view. This is when my wife and I get up off our towel that we are sitting on and we walk down the hill toward the fence to get a shot of the two of them. There were a few of us who were now doing that to get the best shots.

As we walked down and around you can see the other balloon. These balloons were used to give balloon rides.  They had larger sized gondolas to hold more than two people. They have been ushered onto the box shapes and I bet are ready to feel lift off. There actually is a third balloon laying on the ground to the right. It is eventually inflated to accommodate more riders.

Another shot as the balloons have heated their air up to 280 degrees by using their burners.  The sound of the dual burners is unique to hear. It is the only sound you hear as the balloons start to soar.

The far balloon took off first so I didn't get a liftoff shot.  I was so excited that I didn't think about getting one but I will post liftoffs on later blogs. You can see the gondola is rectangular in shape and I am thinking that I could hear fan sounds so they could control the balloon better with the people cargo on board.

It was probably around 7:00 in the evening in Iowa with a light breeze from the northwest. We had a perfect evening to see the show.  I have shared just the tip of the iceberg here and you know I have to share it all.  So stay  tuned in for the next balloon blog by Burgus.

Thanks for stopping by......