#22 – Look! Up in the Sky!

Attend Ottumwa Pro-Balloon Races held in June of each year

After being told for several months how big a deal the annual pro balloon races were, I was excited for the big weekend to arrive.  The fact that it came on the heels of flood watch only served to buoy many people’s spirits.

Note: If your wanderlust for balloon racing is significantly piqued, the official Ottumwa Pro Balloon Race website can be found here.

Unfortunately, weather did not entirely cooperate (once again), which seems to have become a recurring theme for the balloon races.  The dusk glows over the Ottumwa lakes, which are a highly anticipated event due to the beauty of the balloons lit up and reflecting off the water, had to be canceled due to winds.

However, the other precursor events – beer garden, carnival, and fireworks – went off without a hitch.  We have a giant white tiger throw rug to show for it, courtesy of my son winging a ring on the top of a bottle toss.

The big event came to the harsh sound of a 5 am alarm clock – on a Saturday, no less! – for the kick off pancake breakfast.  When we arrived shortly before 6 am, there were no more than fifty people at the breakfast.  Also, four year old boys (and their thirty-one year old fathers) find 6 am to be a very early to be out of bed, even for delicious homemade pancakes and sausage.

The ballooneers (balloon pilots?  balloon folk?) were gathered, but seemed concerned.  Little meetings were huddled about, with groups meeting with official-looking people.  Shortly after the scheduled 6 am take-off, it was announced  that the winds would necessitate a move of the launch point.  Apparently, the path of the winds would leave  the competitors only one stopping point – which was pretty much under water due to the flooding.

With that, a new launch point was announced and the competitors’ trucks took off like popped balloons (see what I did there?)  Since I still do not know my way around, we just enjoyed some more pancakes and sausage before heading home.

Along the way, we saw some of the balloons in the sky and started chasing them for a half hour or so.  It was a bit of a disappointment to not see the full scale launch, but something was better than nothing.

Summary
A fun time which, if things had all gone according to plan, could have been a great time.

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