This past week was the Spirit of Boise - Balloon Festival. Hot Air Balloons from all over the country come to Boise to participate in the four-day event, where they lift off each morning and play different games (quest, chase, etc...). Friday night they hold Night Glow, where the balloons light up like large lanterns.
So Friday night we walked down to the park (about a mile-and-a-half from our complex) to participate in the festivities!
There were a couple of exhibition inflations prior to nightfall. The Coca-Cola bottle (above) and Mickey Mouse (below) were the fan favorites. Mickey Mouse is apparently the only hot air balloon to have risen from the base of the Grand Canyon.
Once darkness fell, we waited in anticipation for the balloons to light up.
And then they did! They tried to do a "wave" effect with the lighting, calling out the balloon leaders names... it was too slow to really be the wave, but it was still interesting to watch.
Josh was able to catch one of the moments on video!
After 30 seconds it goes dark... we kept recording thinking they would light up again, but they didn't.
We enjoyed the balloons so much Friday night we decided to get up early Saturday morning and drive up to a viewpoint to watch the balloons lift off on the final day of the Festival. One did so right away, and the rest were trying to catch up.
Our view, with over half of the balloons in the air.
It was gorgeous! We had a wonderful time watching the balloons and chatting with other people who were up early to watch the final day of lift-offs. It was a wonderful way to begin our weekend!
