In Parque de Vida on Friday evening, inflated hot air balloons’ baskets sat, for the most part, stationary on the ground while the balloons lit up against the darkening sky. The blaring sound of gas and fire ejected from each balloon’s burner as spectators walked by.
Fourteen hot air balloons scattered closely together, except one tethered in the distance that proceeded up-and-down, filled the park as the number of people grew, their voices clashed against the loud burners.
The Montezuma County communities excitedly gathered together during the first weekend of August to watch the 19th Cortez Rendezvous Balloon Rally, where nearly 20 balloons participated in Saturday morning’s flight.
Cody Myers, 39, and Marissa Myers, 36, met in Pagosa Springs during a flight. Marissa showed up one day to fly with her family, who’s been flying before she was born, and met Cody, who worked with the crew that one day. They hit it off and six months later were married.
“It was love at first flight,” Marissa said.
Together they obtained their commercial pilot licenses three years ago with the Federal Aviation Administration and have been running their adventure business, Pagosa Adventure, in Pagosa Springs ever since.
Friday marked their 124th flight since they began flying this year.
Their balloons, Hermosa Pagosa and Nizhoni, attended the balloon rally this weekend. Both “Hermosa” and “Nizhoni” translate to “beautiful” in Spanish and Navajo, respectively.
Next month, in September, Marissa Myers plans an attempt to set the elevation record as a single female hopper. The record is at 14,000 feet, but she thinks she can take it out of the wind to 21,000 feet, rivaling the record of 21,027 feet set in 2005 by Vijaypat Singhania in India.
“I love to fly, and I love sharing the joy with others,” she said. “It’s a magical thing for somebody who’s never done it and seeing them sparkle.”
The Albuquerque-based organizers of the rally have organized the Cortez event for the past 19 years. Glenn See and his wife, Cookie See, started the event.
Cookie See died a couple of years ago, but Glenn See continues to run the event along with his daughter Jennie Pendleton and her husband, Craig Pendleton.
See has been flying for 38 years, and Jennie, for 34 years. Craig Pendleton has flown for 50 years.
As with boats, each balloon has its own name. See’s is called Itszee, and the Pendletons’ is Spirit Too!
Before the glow, a slight breeze blew through the air. To the common folk, it might feel gentle, but the organizers said the 85-feet tall sails would not fare well with the gentle wind.
“You need less than 8 to 10 knots for a glow,” said Craig. “Currently it’s at 7 knots with gusts of wind at 14.”
Eventually the slight breeze died down and more balloons began inflating.
Music filled the park with a DJ from Mesa Media Productions based out of Cortez. Once the balloons inflated, they livestreamed the event on FaceBook.
Los Angeles resident Victor Garcia, 33, happened to be in the area with his family. It was his first time in Colorado, which he thought was beautiful. He and his family made it in time for the glow and was disappointed that he couldn’t ride.
Nobody rode that evening but as more people filled the park and the darker it became, the balloons lit up. Children were laughing, screaming and doing gymnastic tricks as some older people lounged around with their dogs or close ones.
Everyone seemed entertained and excited as the colorful balloons took up space in the darkening sky and the animated chatter electrified the park.
About 6:30 a.m. Saturday, an estimated 100 people already repopulated the park as everyone circled around See and the Pendletons for the morning flight meeting.
Jennie Pendleton thanked the pilots for the “wonderful glow last night.”
“Cortez is a fairly small town with lots of farming,” she said. “It’s a beautiful place to fly.”
They also thanked Country Gas for staying open late, allowing the glow to happen.
Winds were calm and were expected to pick up after noon.
Right after the weather announcement, they let a small black balloon go and their eyes followed it as it floated toward the setting moon.
A lot goes into flying hot air balloon. The trained pilots obtain their licenses and need to follow all flying rules.
Jeremy Patton, manager of Cortez Municipal Airport, said the balloon controls the elevation and not the direction, unlike airplanes.
“The balloons can land at the airport but we ask them not to take up the runway,” he said. “Instead of landing in someone’s land where there’s cattle, try to use the areas that aren’t the runway, like nearby fields.”
Airport traffic controllers monitor the flights and communicate with pilots through radios if something seems hazardous.
Craig Pendleton said they don’t know exactly where all the balloons will land. They aim to go toward the airport but probably not past it. The general idea is to land in parks and vacant lots, but it all depends on the wind, which was more calm than yesterday.
Businesses and organizations sponsor each balloon at the rally, and the one the airport sponsored (along with the Expert Aircraft Association) is True-Lee from New Mexico – with a Calaveras painting (the Mexican Day of the Dead sugar skull) on the balloon.
As the morning grew later and balloons began flying in the air, more people concentrated in the park. Excitement filled the area again as they watched the balloons fly away.
Cortez residents Chrisandra Sveen and her husband, Curtis Duffi, a sous chef at the Elks Lodge, took many photos of the happenings.
“It’s a lifelong dream being here,” Sveen said. “Yesterday, they (the balloons) flew right over our house.”
Although the pilots are an important piece to the puzzle, another group of people are exceptionally important – the chasers.
As they watch where their balloon flies, they’re also in constant communication with the pilots. Their job is to chase the balloon, driving toward the balloon to help the balloon passengers safely land and pack everything up in the trailer.
Depending on the crew, the setup and takedown can take 30 minutes or longer.
Lewis residents Thadd and Rebecca Busing have been chasing balloons close to 13 years, ever since their 8-year-old’s teacher invited their son to fly one day.
Although initially apprehensive, they caved in and let their son fly. And the couple have been chasing balloons ever since.
On Saturday morning’s adventure, they were chasing Koshare from Gallup, New Mexico.
Eventually, an older woman from their group swiftly walked by before getting in the truck and said, “Alright, we gotta chase.”
