Clear skies, light breezes and vibrant falls colors have made for a successful first annual Animas Valley Balloon Rally, drawing nearly 15 pilots from across the country for the chance to fly above the skies north of Durango.
“It was absolutely beautiful,” said Debbi Waltman, a pilot with No Worries!! Ballooning, based in Windsor. “It was wonderful to come here to relax and just enjoy the fall colors.”
For many pilots over the weekend, the inaugural Animas Valley Balloon Rally provided a low-key opportunity to fly in the calm of the San Juan Mountains, just a week after the International Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, which brings more than 550 balloons and hundreds of thousands of spectators to the event each day.
“It was one of the most beautiful flights I’ve ever done,” said Rich Lawhorn from Louisville, Kentucky. “The valley was full of color, everything changing from green.”
The event was championed by local pilot Doug Lenberg, who, when prompted by Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad owner Al Harper and Ron Smith, president of the Cottonwoods Homeowners Association, decided Durango needed to join the ranks of neighboring towns that feature a hot-air balloon rally in the late summer-early fall months.
On Friday morning, the first launch drew a number of onlookers as balloons set off in Hermosa, about 10 miles north of Durango, as pilots seemingly effortlessly floated down the valley.
Waltman, who has tried to fly Durango three previous times during Snowdown’s hot-air balloon rally in January, but was thwarted each time because of weather or technical issues, was finally able to lift off and view the Animas Valley from a bird’s-eye view.
“That was definitely a relief,” she said of the long-awaited accomplishment.
Waltman said one of the advantages to flying the Animas Valley is the plentiful landing options for the aircraft. While pilots do have control over finding wind patterns at different elevations, a balloon flight does contain a fair amount of spontaneous ingenuity when it comes to finding a suitable place to land.
After touching ground on farmland just south of Trimble Lane, Waltman ceremoniously offered the property owners, who became giddy spectators, a bottle of champagne.
As Waltman tells the story, when hot-air ballooning began in France in the early 1780s, pilots would offer a bottle of champagne to property owners as they were landing in an effort to be better well-received.
Mary Richardson and her husband, part of Waltman’s flight crew, met the pilot at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta five years ago, and have been following her around the country ever since.
“I just like the people we meet along the way,” Richardson said. “Everyone here is just here to have fun, and it’s the perfect time of year.”
On Friday night, thousands of people packed downtown Durango near the General Palmer Hotel to watch the inaugural “Downtown Durango Balloon Glow,” where balloons, anchored to the ground, ignite their burners simultaneously, lighting up the balloons to create a flickering light bulb effect.
Other launches were held Saturday morning, with another planned for Sunday morning to wrap up the event.
“This weekend actually exceeded my expectations for the first fall balloon rally,” said Lenberg. “We had far more community involvement than what I expected.”
Throughout the weekend, seven hotels offered to host the pilots for three days: Holiday Inn & Suites, Marriott Residence Inn, The General Palmer Hotel, Best Western Durango Inn & Suites, Best Western Rio Grande Inn, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and the Iron Horse Inn.
Several businesses – including Hermosa Creek Grille, the D&SNG, Colorado Eagle Distribution – sponsored events throughout the weekend. And, County Gas in Cortez offered to fill up the propane tanks for balloons.
Lenberg said given this year’s success, it’s likely the Animas Valley Balloon Rally will return for a second year next fall.
“A lot of people said they wanted to,” he said. “It’s been awesome, and I’m truly pleased.”
jromeo@durangoherald.com
