Alpine's Annual Big Bend Balloon Bash, 2004, Saturday Evening
That night, a "balloon glow" was scheduled at the Alpine high school football stadium. With the (relatively) small area of a football field for all of the balloons and gusty winds, most pilots option just to set up basket and burner, close to the the spectators. After dark, the sight of a balloon envelope glowing from a burner below can be quite impressive, but a raw burner at night can be quite a site also.
Here, Greg lends a helping hand to Phil's Propane crew - one of the few balloons that decided to inflate.
A view from Propane's gondola, looking up to the crown of the envelope after inflation.
It's dark and the M.C. gives the first "burner on" command.
It's bright and hot as Dick, Judy and Paula will attest to. Note the crowd just a few feet away.
The Captain is ready for the next burner command.
The "whisper" burner makes for some interesting flame patterns when you can catch them quick enough.
While the M.C. usually asks for pilots to hit their burners in sequence, all of them at once is quite a sight.
From the right angle, position and a slow shutter speed, an "all burn" can turn night in to day, exposing Propane (who tethered) and Zoopendous (who inflated) in the background.
Having to return to Dallas the next day, I was not able to join the crew for the finally Sunday but I was invited to join them when they came to Plano, two weeks later.