balloon races

It's that time of year again..... the annual Reno Hot Air Balloon Races are in town. After last years experience I decided I wanted my whole weekend available so we could take advantage of whatever opportunities may occur. Despite my excitement, I really didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't go to bed early and Brielle had been up crying about her legs hurting her (due to growing pains I think). But despite my exhaustion I managed to pull myself together and get out the door. Because I was being so slow most the balloons were already up in the air and starting to drift south and west. We decided to pull off on a side street at the top of McCarren, which happen to be the best spot. Miles and Brielle were excited to see (as Brielle would call them) the "BIG balloons."

Brielle huggin Matt and saying "this is SO exciting!"

Miles points at things he wants to see

Miles wanted to see the balloons so he would lean back as far as he could to see the ones directly above us.

 We watched as several balloons landed in the streets below us, many were aiming for the open space about half a mile away. While we were there Matt saw Scottie (the Crew chief) from the balloon we helped out last year. He happen to be across the street from us! Seriously what are the chances. Matt ran over and Scottie immediately recognized Matt. They couldn't remember each other's names but the faces they knew.
Scottie told Matt they had enough crew this year but he was more then welcome to come and help, only if he wanted to. Matt came back to the truck and wondered if he really should or not. After a few short minutes we decided to pack up and start chasing the balloon.
We weren't exactly sure how we were going to get to the balloon, it had landed in an area that was pretty tough to get to. We park and decided to hike to it. I sent Matt on his merry way while I took the kids. We happen to be right in the middle of several balloons landing and breaking down.

I love this picture. We didn't feed the kids breakfast and brought snacks. Miles is checking Brielle's food out like, "hey give me some!"

We walked over to the edge of the hill and found the balloon. The pilot sure did make it difficult for the crew to access it. No surprise Matt was already done there helping out. Come to find out later Matt was standing next to a few of the crew members who weren't sure if they really wanted to go down the hill. Next thing they knew Matt was running down it and got to the balloon just when they needed help. Way to go babe!

 While I was taking these pictures my foot started to hurt. I looked down to discover I was on an ant hill full of red ants. They were crawling all over me. I must have been too distracted to notice before. I must have been bitten cause my left foot was killing me. Needless to say I scurried off that hill in a hurry and tried to get the ants off me. My toe was red, swollen and throbbed the rest of the morning. Man I have never been bitten by red ants before and it hurts like the dickens.

 They finally decided to move and what a walk they had.

 The kids and I stayed at the top of the hill for awhile and watched the other balloons around us. I wasn't sure what the plan was for the balloon Matt was with, they had been staying in one place for a long time.

Brielle was trying to hug Miles but he wanted nothing to do with it. She then held his shirt and that really made him mad.

 After some time Brielle begged me to walk down the hill with them and go get Daddy. The hill was way too steep for me to carry the two kids but I noticed a few hundred yards away it wasn't as steep. So down the hill we went across a little bit of water and through the trees. We finally made it to Daddy.

Again Brielle was trying to hold Miles hand, and he didn't want her to. It lasted just long enough for me to snap a picture

Brielle wasn't as scared this year of the flame. Matt encouraged her to look inside the balloon.

 Miles wasn't a fan of the flame and didn't want out of my arms. He clung on pretty darn tight. Matt was able to pry him off and took him to say hello to everyone.

 He couldn't hold the kids for too long, his help was wanted.

 I discovered the pilot was waiting for more fuel before he took off again. He didn't like where he landed and knew it was going to be a challenge to break down. He figured he would try to land somewhere else. Once they exchanged fuel tanks everyone took off. We ended up being the last ones there. Good thing we were still there cause Matt needed to help with the basket a little before they took off.

Brielle was giving "thumbs up" but she points her pointer fingers instead. I love you can see the shadow of the balloon

 She was pretty fascinated with watching them take off.

We couldn't decide what we wanted to do; stop and go home or continue chasing it. We found ourselves still chasing and ended up next to Kings Row chapel (We can't help ourselves, it's just too fun). Perfect spot cause the time was near for Brielle to go to Joy school and the house was just a few blocks away. I decided we would drop Brielle off and continue the chase.
John, the pilot, landed in a park above Kings Row. It was perfect for Miles. He loved running around while Matt helped out.

Holding the neck up for Scottie to investigate the inside of the balloon

 Matt was more hands on this year with breaking down. It was really fun to watch him in action. The crew and pilot seem to really appreciate his help.

After everything was packed up, we were invited to go to breakfast with everyone. We decided it would be nice to get to know the crew better.  I am so glad we did. It was fun making the connections with everyone and sharing our story about how we knew Scottie. Everyone was extremely nice. We have been invited to join them again in the morning. One of the crew members lives here in Reno. They are having a get together tomorrow afternoon and we were asked to attend. To top it off,  John mention that he would like to try to get Matt in the balloon this weekend. What a cool experience that will be if it occurs. I am so happy we decided to do breakfast. This weekend is going to be full of adventure!