| San Juan River Balloon Rally |
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That's what 77-year-old Raymond Hepner was thinking Friday morning when 90,000-cubic-foot balloon glided over his home and descended in a nearby field, bobbing gently against the ground before coming to a halt.
"I was on the sun porch when I heard the burner," he said. "I looked up and there it was. That was a surprise."
Hepner joined a chase crew at about 8 a.m. — nearly an hour after a half-dozen balloons took flight from the Bloomfield soccer fields. From the back seat of a pickup, he directed Mary Bragg, of Albuquerque, through the maze of dirt roads near the San Juan River as they searched for Bragg's blue- and green-checked balloon, the "Mad Adventure."
Bragg often leads the chase crew, she said, while her husband and partner, Don Bragg, pilots the craft. The chase crew recruits help along the journey, asking directions from locals and soliciting extra pairs of eyes from anyone willing to join the search.
"Just spotting the balloon
Balloonists from across the state participated in Bloomfield's first balloon rally, and pilots guided the vividly colored bulbs along the San Juan River from hundreds of feet in the air. The balloons ascended just after dawn on the Fourth of July, but the air was absent of the chaos common on the holiday.
Hot air balloons are heralded as the oldest successful passenger flight technology, dating from 1783. They also are the quietest mode of transportation available, Don Bragg said. Aside from the occasional whisper of propane shooting into the balloon, the journey can be made in silence.
"It's very peaceful," Don said. "It's quiet and you just float along with the wind."
Don and Mary have ballooned for nearly two decades. They participate in rallies across the country, including the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. They also indulge in several leisure flights every month, and every journey is an adventure, Don said.
Don piloted one of eight balloons to participate in the three-day San Juan River Balloon Rally. The balloons skimmed tree tops and dipped toward the river as they traveled silently through the air, startling flocks of geese and delighting pajama-clad spectators.
The goal of Friday's event was for pilots to land at SunRay Park, said Chamber of Commerce Director Bernadette Smith. That was not always the outcome. Don piloted his balloon about halfway to the park before landing in a grassy field.
"We have sort of a proverb in this business to never turn down a good landing site," he said. "It was a good landing spot, and there was a road, so I knew the crew could get to me."
With normal speeds barely topping 10 mph, Bragg promised a smooth ride. The same guarantee does not apply to the chase crews, who are in constant radio contact with pilots. The only direction Don offered was a description of the landmarks visible from the ground — a red shed and a cell phone tower. Mary combed the riverside neighborhoods for longer than an hour before forging her way to the landing spot.
"The problem was that we were unfamiliar with the area," Don said. "We got to know the intricacies of the back roads of Farmington. We left no road unturned."
The San Juan River Balloon Rally continues today and Sunday with ascension from the Bloomfield soccer fields at 6 a.m. both days.
Alysa Landry:
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