Why is this girl smiling so huge at 6:30 AM on a Tuesday morning? Well, here it is: this is my work buddy Jenny, thrilled at the prospect that she and her husband Cody have been awarded the chance to jump into a hot air balloon and soar above the Teton Mountains on a beautiful summer morning. The Hot Air Balloon Rally is part of Teton Valley's Summerfest. Every year, balloon enthusiasts come to the valley to launch their odd aircraft into our blue skies.
It cost me five bucks to park behind the Teton Valley Museum to witness this spectacle. Worth every dime, and even worth the ridicule I got at the gate for paying two of those five dollars in change (um, I didn't know there was a fee; the frantic digging in my Xterra's center console for change deeply amused the parking attendant).
I've never been up in a hot air balloon (she is afraid of heights, kids). But I love hot air balloons and I love taking pictures of them. I was so excited to get up early just to document the launch on the second day of rally. It reminded me of an event back East in St. Louis that I adore: the Great Hot Air Balloon Race. Participants launch their balloons in pursuit of the Energizer Bunny balloon... it is quite literally a race, and much like a fox and hound type deal. No race here, just smiles all around and beautiful balloons filling the valley's skies.
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