We Woke Up Early To See Balloons

I went running this morning and booked it eastward so that I could quickly get to my half-way point and then turn around and enjoy the balloons on my way back home. But then they all went north! I still got a nice view, though. This really is quite possibly my most favorite week of the year.

Yesterday, we went to see the mass ascension launch. It was a pretty perfect morning. It was the first time we made it in time for Dawn Patrol, where a few balloons launch before sunrise (they have special lighting systems that allow them to fly in the dark). They line up in a straight line and then launch one at a time, so it is a different look then the mass ascension and very neat to watch. I was messing with camera settings to try and get a decent picture and this was the best I could do. I'll bet if there were a few more balloons to go, I would have had it perfect!

Some more pictures of our morning:

The kids really like to collect the balloon trading cards that most of the pilots have. Skyler was getting very brave by the end of the morning and going up to the crew all by himself to ask for a card. When we got home, Oliver checked out all the cards.