Hot Air Balloon Festival
Early morning on a mid-July weekend the Yampa Valley in Steamboat Springs comes to life for a Hot Air Balloon Festival. It fills this winter ski destination in the middle of summer. People from all over the state of Colorado plan a weekend here. We were told to be there early and glad we did as we ended up in the staging grounds for the balloons birth and take off. It’s a surreal site watching things unfold. How the crew worked as a team for everyone’s safety and literally tying things together to launch into the sky.
Clear blue skies serve as a back drop to the colors surging above. The crowds gathered around with dreams of flying in this most impressive of inventions to fulfill those dreams. What an amazing site with the midmorning light, setting the sky ablaze with colorful balloons.
A city dweller like me comes to appreciate big sky country at its finest. I’m not much of a skier, but definitely an outdoorsy guy to take advantage of Steamboat’s other attractions like hiking trails and soaking in the local hot springs.