Hot Air Balloon Heaven!

In the past few years it has become a tradition for the Honey Family to go to the Balloon Fest that is part of Provo City's Freedom Festival. Even though we have to get up early (balloons launch by 6:30 am), we LOVE to see the hot air balloons!

This year we made it to the field just as the balloons were inflating.

It is so awesome to watch the colorful silk envelopes fill with hot air and rise off the ground. The best part about the balloon festival is that you can actually walk around on the field while the balloons are being inflated.

That means you can get really close to all of the action! It is so fascinating to watch the crews work to fill the hot air balloons.

I love watching more and more balloons rise up from the ground! Before you know it, the first balloons are launched into the sky to make room for the rest of the balloons that still need to inflate.

Before long, most of the balloons are rising into the sky. It is a wonderful sight to behold!

There were so many different hot air balloons, with picture opportunities at every turn! I snapped several hundred pictures of hot air balloons and had a hard time narrowing down which pictures I wanted to use for this post because there were so many good ones!

One of the last balloons to inflate was the Coca-Cola balloon. They almost never let the Coke balloon get off the ground because its shape makes it hard to fly. But the timing of the balloon rising off the ground was perfect this year because I ended up with one of my favorite shots!

This year was the best weather we have ever had at the Balloon Fest. There was not a lot of wind, which made for awesome balloon navigation. In years past it seemed that the balloons would quickly drift away from the field, but this year they were able to navigate around the field and stay nearby.

After the balloons have launched, they put a target on the field that the balloonists are supposed to fly over and drop a flag as close to the middle as they can. In years past most of the balloons never made it back over the field, but this year we saw six or seven balloons come back and take aim at the target.

It was really cool to watch! there were also several balloon targets for the hot air balloonists to try to get close to and pop. We have never seen a balloon come close to popping a target balloon, but this year several were popped. It was awesome! (See the target balloons in the picture below?)

This year was the best yet for watching the hot air balloons! My little children don't even mind getting up early because they think the hot air balloons are fascinating too.

I know I definitely would love to take a ride in one someday! Wouldn't you?

I love that the balloon fest has become a part of our Fourth of July celebrations. I think watching the balloons is even more fun than watching the fireworks!

If you have never gone to a balloon festival, you should see if there is one held near you this summer! When I looked at a Hot Air Balloon Festivals website, I was surprised at just how many festivals there are around the United States, and the world!

Have you been to a balloon festival, or gone for a ride in a hot air balloon? I would LOVE to hear about it!

Linked up to Wordful Wednesday, Wordish Wednesday, and Wordless Wednesdays all over