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I used to go to that every year ... for those who haven't, it is well worth the trip
be forwarned, if it is too windy or too wet, there will be no liftoff
you pay to get in, and I think you pay for parking, be prepared to hoof it if you arrive late LOL
but it is well worth it for the images you'll get ... either at night, or get there before sunrise (Leia think if that one as staying up really really late LOL)
I'm not a morning person so it has been several years since I've done the lift off. It is well worth getting up if, like Nina said, it's not windy. I also prefer the morning if the sky is clear. Not such a battle (at least for me) to get the exposure right.
I don't recall seeing dogs there. I think some dogs might have issues with the noise of the burners when they flare. Pretty noisy stuff.
You do want to get there well before the events begin. The parking is begins quite a distance away by most event standards and it fills up. It is pretty fun watching them set up in the morning and the night glow is a pretty short event. I'm sure the fuel is pretty costly.
On Sunday, George will be driving his train not too far away shortly after launch so he might see something. I will be asleep or just going to sleep (usually around the time Nina is getting up on weekends).
If I remember correctly Sunday is not a big launch day. I think it is more of an extra day in case the other days don't lend themselves to good flights. I think I'll be missing the morning myself.
I wonder what ever happened to the balloons that used to fly around Kent, WA.
When I first moved here, they were quite common, and it wasn't unusual to see several at a time but I haven't seen one in years. I even had one ask if he could land in the lot next to my house, but he changed his mind at the last minute when he realized it was a fairly small lot.
They probably got scared away by all the open fields being converted to houses and shopping malls I guess....
PS - Anyone else remember when "Hot Air Balloon" didn't also mean "Flying Billboard"?
I wonder what ever happened to the balloons that used to fly around Kent, WA.
When I first moved here, they were quite common, and it wasn't unusual to see several at a time but I haven't seen one in years. I even had one ask if he could land in the lot next to my house, but he changed his mind at the last minute when he realized it was a fairly small lot.
They probably got scared away by all the open fields being converted to houses and shopping malls I guess....
PS - Anyone else remember when "Hot Air Balloon" didn't also mean "Flying Billboard"?
They used to have races at the festival and they are not having them this year. They are of course still flying but they aren't doing the hare and the hound. I wondered why when I heard that too.
Flying billboard, I always thought of airplanes with the banners behind them.
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