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Published: September 17th 2007
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Its Go Time!!!
The Energizer Bunny balloon gets the Great Forest Park Balloon Race underway... Sunday, September 16, 2007
Hello everyone! I am happy to report that I had a safe trip back to the US, and have been spending the past couple of days hanging out with friends and family, watching the Cardinals’ hope of an insane comeback in the NL Central collapse to the tune of a 9-game losing streak, and generally reacquainting myself with life here in St. Louis, all while nursing a minor case of jetlag… It has been a good few days, for sure. Now that I’m at home, I’m making it a top priority to get this blog all caught up. Knowing I already have a TON of stuff I’ve got to do while I’m home, we’ll see how that goes… But I am going to try…
Anyway, as far as being back in the US is concerned, I have to admit that Im still adjusting. Cars on the wrong (“Right”) side of the road, power cords to my numerous electronic devices lacking the need for adapters, days getting shorter and colder instead of longer and warmer- its like I’m in Bizzaro World! Its good though- Im glad to be back, if only for a short 3 weeks.
And the Race is ON!!
After the Bunny lifted off, the rest of the crews got cracking on getting their own balloons off the ground... Went to the Cards-Cubs game on Friday night (The Cards lost, of course…), and headed out to Forest Park for the Great Forest Park Hot Air Balloon Race on Saturday. Hung out with the fam today, and then went out to church for the HS Youth Group I used to help out with prior to the Expedition kicking off. It has been really good to re-connect with so many people in the few short days I’ve been home. Other plans for while I’m in the States entail going to a few more Cards’ games (Hey, they might not be competing for the playoffs, but you cant get a cold Bud Light and a great hot dog in New Zealand- it just ain’t happenin’), a day trip to a local winery here in St. Louis to get in on the early Oktoberfest festivities (Yes, Oktoberfest starts in September…), might squeeze in a quick trip up to Chicago, have a wedding or two to attend, and other than that, just planning on hanging out and catching up with family and friends. It should be good, but like I said, I’m sure these 3 weeks are going to fly by… Then its off
So Many Balloons!
I think there was supposedly 70-odd entrants into the race... I didnt believe it, until I saw it... to Fiji for 5 days of scuba diving, fishing, and bumming around on the beach before heading back to Queenstown. I’ll be there through at least the end of November (The lease on the flat ends on November 27th), and after that, who knows. Ill figure it out though- no worries, mate!
Ok, before I get out of here, a few details on the balloon race. Forest Park is this MASSIVE park located right on the outskirts of downtown St. Louis- to give you an idea, it is trumped only by Central Park as far metropolitan parks are concerned. The St. Louis Zoo, the Art Museum, the History Museum, The Muny (A huge outdoor amphitheater), an ice skating rink, a huge pond and boathouse- all points of interest that are found within the park’s borders. Needless to say, its one of St. Louis’ crown jewels, so to speak. Anyway, every year they have this hot air balloon race, and apparently it’s a pretty big deal. I had never been before, and I have to admit I was a little skeptical about going downtown at first- the sky was overcast, the traffic was supposed to be HORRENDOUS, and honestly, the
The Odds-On Favorite...
My money was on the Goldfish balloon- not solely becuase it was the first one off the ground, but moreso becuase I LOVE Goldfish... prospect of watching a few balloons blow up and float silently out of sight just didn’t get me that excited to begin with… But, Cory had gone down earlier in the day, and I didn’t want to leave him hanging. Plus, I knew my buddy Eric was coming out with his family, and I wanted to catch up with them, so I made the decision to go and headed out around 2pm. It was a good decision. It turned out to be a beautiful day in St. Louis- perfect for a little picnic and some washers in the Park. A few hot air balloons wouldn’t hurt, either… My buddy Eric brought his son out for the festivities- it was good to see the little guy! Actually, Little Eli is not so little anymore- he has grown so much since the last time I saw him! Granted, he’s only about 6 months old, so he’s not THAT big, but still- he has grown a ton since I last saw him in June. I guess all he does is eat, sleep, and grow (And poop, I can hear Dana saying…). Crazy kids! Good times in the Park though… I was surprised to
More Balloons, Taking to the Sky...
I was waiting for one to lift off and crash into the bottom of another one... There were SO MANY!! find the start of the race being the highlight of the afternoon. First, the Energizer Bunny balloon took to the sky, as it was the pace-setter for the race, and would help determine who the actual winner was. After a 15-minute head start, the rest of the balloon crews got underway, spreading out their canvasses and starting to fill their balloons with hot air. One by one they began to fill and take shape, until the first softly and silently lifted off the ground. Then the race was on. Balloon after balloon expanded and headed skyward, until there seemed to be a hundred balloons in the air and still more on the ground rushing to join in the chase. It was quite a sight. The winds kept shifting as well, so those that got off first were going in a completely different direction than those that got up later. The newspaper reports today said that the pilots claimed it was one of the craziest balloon races ever, with winds so unpredictable that some found themselves landing in the middle of roads, backyards, even ponds (See picture below…). Too funny! Anyway, seeing all of these balloons floating upwards until they were
The First Wave is Off...
The balloons had to inflate in waves, as the launch area wasnt big enough for everyone to get started right away... These guys got a head start on the rest... mere specks in the sky was pretty cool. I got to stick around for most of the launchings, then had to run in order to make it back out to Chesterfield in time for church, which stated at 630p. It was definitely a worthwhile trip down to the park though, and something I would do again. Just have to plan it a little bit better, and make a whole day out of it. It was a cool event to go to though, especially on one of my first days back in the States. Very American, in so many ways…
Okay, I’ll be back soon to wrap up the final couple of weeks in NZ prior to my return to the US. Just to whet your appetite- think Blues Brothers and Bungy Jumping… Intrigued?? Stay tuned…
In the meantime, I FINALLY convinced Sprint to turn my cell phone back on… In case you aren’t already aware- they are RIDICULOUSLY inept, and their Customer Service is absolutely WORTHLESS. Don’t even get me started… Anyway, for the next few weeks, I can be reached on my old number (636-236-7575), if any of you are keen on catching up while I’m State-side…
An Interesting Perspective...
I thought this pic was pretty cool, with the balloon alomst directly overhead. Hope all is well!
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Mama Hoots
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I love Your Blog
Hi Nick...Welcome back....See you at the wedding....Have you flip flopped your body back to the states yet? Cory felt it more the second week. Have a good visit. It sounds like you have started out well. Take care..