Hot Air Balloon Flight Record - 10Jul2005
Stoweflake Balloon Rally

It was a very wet weekend. Remnants of tropical storm Cindy caused showers Friday evening and rain all day Saturday.

At least we were able to call the front desk at 4:45 AM Saturday and find out the flight was canceled rather than going to the field at 5:30 in the rain. Saturday evening (in the continuing rain) they caught us on the driveway so we didn't create more mud on the access to the field.

Even though it was still raining at 10 PM Saturday, Sunday morning woke to clear blue sky and light winds. The ground was still saturated with rain water! We had to move the fence and start a new driveway into the field because the original path was mud.

The winds at launch were variable so balloons remained over the field for a long time. We traveled a little north, turned west across the edge of the field and turned south when we were over the trees west of the field. Eventually we turned west again. Several balloons landed all over the hillside in yards and on the "driveway" for the area. We continued west, converging on 108 and eventually landing gently next to Houston Farm Rd, another gravel road leading into more homes.

I didn't get the anticipated right turn close to the ground so we had to walk the balloon a short way to get to the mowed grass for deflation.