Drumheller Spring 2006

“Four for Four”

This was one of those weekends that people will talk about for months. This springs Calgary Balloon Club “non-event” in Drumheller was first rate with a perfect four for four flight record. The weather cooperated and rewarded all in attendance with a treat of visual splendor not seen for quite some time.

The weather on the Friday evening took a little time to settle but by the time dinner was finished the winds had calmed off just enough to allow a slow flight to the North West. We took off from the ball diamonds at Newcastle Beach around 8PM and ended up just west of the airport after a 45 minute hop. If the sun wasn’t setting I’m sure we could have flown on for another 45 minutes. I took Banks’ two daughters up with me for their first balloon ride. They had a great time and didn’t even seem to mind the bump at the end of the journey as I planted the balloon into a black field with the rest of the balloons. All the crews got together after the flight and convoyed back into town for the after flight celebration. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the propane station was closed by the time we got back into town so we would have to refuel in the morning before the AM flight. I was pretty tired by then so an AM refueling run suited me just fine!

Saturday morning broke and once again the winds and sky were perfect for a valley flight. This time I would have to fly solo as no passengers could be found on the launch field. Once airborne it was quite obvious that the winds in the valley where light and variable as I could see Double Diamond sitting on a sand-bar in the middle of the Red Deer River while the other balloons slowly drifted west down the valley. I came down to tree top and started drifting back to the launch field at a crawl. After what seemed like an eternity, actually only ten minutes, I decided to respond to the call of the faster winds aloft. Both Craig and I decided to climb up and see where the faster winds would take us. The winds at 5,000 ft and higher were 20 knots out of the west-south west. This direction would take us over our friendly neighborhood PZ so we kept high and watched for any action. We were way too high to cause the land owner any concern so we decided to stay high for a while and take in the view of the beautiful Red Deer River valley. Once we cleared the area we descended back down to the flatlands and prepared to find a landing spot. My crew found the bridge in Rosedale without incident and was on the spot shortly after I brought the balloon to a stop. After determining that the land owner was a few kilometers west I decided to pop up and see if I could land in the local landowners pasture. This turned out to be a much better field for landing and the crew had already acquired permission. Once the access was found we were good to rip out and deflate!

The evening flight was another wait till after dinner and see what the winds were doing kind of situation. This time I decided to forgo the flight as it was getting close to sunset and I really didn’t want to go through the motions for a 30 minute flight. Rosanne jumped at the opportunity to take a ride with Craig and left Raymond with me. Boy was he pissed! Once I handed him a Pepsi all was forgotten and he seemed to kick back and take it all in. The winds took the pair straight south towards the #9 highway. Other balloons that decided to take to the sky included Ralph and Glen P. In my haste to find Craig’s landing spot I drove into a low spot and ended up stuck in the mud. Bert looked after getting Craig packed up while I got the tow rope ready for when they came out of the field. A little pull is all that I needed and I was mobile again. Raymond was still occupied with his can of Pepsi while I pacified the land owner with a bottle of champagne. “Daddy, let’s get stuck again!”

Sunday morning everyone was looking forward to returning to the Morrin Campground as we always seem to have awesome flights there. Experience has proven that box winds seem to be a normal occurrence in this part of the Red Deer River valley. I was the first to arrive on the launch field and soon there after someone had a pibal in the air. Straight UP! Ok, there was a bit of a curl to the south east. Probably just enough wind to get us up onto the flats but it was all good. Would the box be there? Let’s try it out! I took my time getting setup and let a few other balloons take to the sky first so I could judge the winds. What, no passengers again? Another solo flight was in order. At first there wasn’t much of a return direction as most of the balloons stayed low and proceeded to cross the river. I launched at the same time as Walt who was right next to me on the launch field. I ended up slightly higher and directly over his balloon so I decided to give him some room and climbed up a little higher than the other balloons. The wind took me the opposite direction as the other balloons and I started flying south down the valley towards the ball diamonds. THE BOX! Once I was about 200 meters south of the launch field I came down and began to follow the other balloons out over the river. Once over the trees and I scored splash n’ dash #1 and I do mean number ONE. Seventeen years as crew and pilot and this was my first splash n’ dash! HOW SWEET IT WAS!! . A slight dip, just enough to get the runners wet. Honestly, I don’t think I even got the scuff leather wet. I continued on towards the other side of the river and made a few touches in the tall grass. It was time to pop up and see if the south direction was still available. Would it take me back to the launch field? NOPE! This time the winds took me back to the east side of the river where I just might be able to attempt another splash and dash. This works for me; I said to myself. Down I went hoping for another chance to wash the wicker. The direction was perfect and this time, with a little more experience under my belt, I completely dunked the floor of the basket in the water. Yes, I scored splash n’ dash #2. OK, now I’m going to wake up and find out it’s all a dream! Twice in one flight, did the other balloons see me? They must have! No passenger to vouch for my dip, I have to make sure they see the water dripping out of the basket! This is when the primal scream exploded from my lungs. OK, it was more of a Stampede “Yheee Haaaa” but it did the job. They would have to take notice now! I tried for splash n’ dash #3 but the west direction had faded. I made it to the east side of the river but nothing to get me back across to the west side of the river. Craig, Glenn P and I all played around in a coulee for a while then climbed up for a landing in the first available field. This happened to be the same field most of the other balloons had picked. I think I counted five other balloons in the same field. The winds were calm and the field large so I decided to take Raymond for his first balloon ride. Rosanne had to wake Raymond from a slumber to get him into the basket but he quite enjoyed the 100 meter hop. Four years old and his first balloon ride! It was only a year ago that he wouldn’t come near the balloon. What’s next? We packed up and headed down the road for champagne and orange juice with all the other balloons. What a great morning!

Breakfast at the Legion was the next order of business. We packed our bags, filled our bellies, said our goodbyes and headed back to the big city. It was a great weekend with great folks flying in the best terrain in the world!

See Yah in the fall!

Steve

Friday Evening - May 5