Fleeting moments amidst the moutains in New Mexico
“The way of the samurai.”
What is the feeling of dullness before something beautiful happens? What makes life living, but living life, itself? The feeling of being somewhere, often followed by good or bad memories, is what we live for and what makes up life itself, in each experience, moment, desire – either we get what we were looking for, or we don’t, and in doing so, find something new to discover.
Taos.
The mountains and the yellow balloons rising amidst the early morning sunrise, like magic in the air, some say, now here, then gone, as memories drift into the night, so too, will these be forgotten, and only parts of it will remain.
The Taos Mountain Balloon Rally was not one I knew of in advance. It was something that turned up on the way, from the previous travels I was on through New Mexico, where I met three very nice people in a small town diner in New Mexico. One of them told me the balloon festival was occurring, and I went down the next day to see the final mass ascension. Derek and Vonnie, the organizers, were the other two who I met in the diner, and I was able to take some photographs of the Sunday morning balloon festival.
Here are a few.
In the morning, a little before sunrise while it was still dark, trucks pulled in, with their trailers behind them with large wicker baskets in the back. They unfolded their large tarps, laid out the balloons, and with the help of several others, blew cold air from steel wire fans into the balloons, to fill them up with air. Then, once full, jets of hot air were sent into the cold air, to heat up the balloons, which made them stand upright, as the baskets were attached. Once everyone was inside with the balloon pilot who were going on the ride, more hot air jets shot into the balloons, lighting them up in the dark, lifting them off into the air once the sun had risen. A small balloon was sent up first into the sky, so that everyone could see what direction the wind currents took, and then everyone waited for the others to begin their flight, although one or two hot-air balloons hovered nearby in the air.
This is what it was like.
This green balloon was the first to inflate and take off. While everyone knows Head makes sporting goods, not many there knew they also make hot-air balloons. Several companies make hot-air balloons, of course, though not all of them had a logo. Anyway, Green hovered over the pretty backdrop of the mountains and yellow aspens, bumping into the brush every now and then as it made its way around the grassy field.Pictured here are several helpers unfolding a tarp onto which the balloon was carefully laid out. Several balloons are already in flight.The colorful, feather-like interior of one of the balloons at the 24th Annual Taos Mountain Balloon Rally. A former Rainbow Ryders balloon with its iconic design, now an independent balloon for a different company in Taos, is carrying several riders who will photograph the scenery below or simply enjoy the ride with the pilot, the owner of the balloon company.The Rainbow Ryders colorful rainbow patterned ballon is behind the yellow star diamond patterned ballon here.This balloon was tethered and did not fly with the others. Instead, the balloon and its pilot went up thirty feet with different passengers, so others could experience what flying is like. Balloons drifting in the sky.
Some said that photographing balloons is a photographer’s dream. Others said the balloons drifting in the sky are magical. Many of the on-lookers were simply content to watch the balloons filling up with an innocent wonder as the morning unfolded.
