In Rural New Mexico, a Hot Air Balloon Rally for the Community, Not the Tourists

By Anya Petrone Slepyan

Cory Johnson woke up knowing it was a special day. So she wasn’t too surprised when a dozen strangers in a hot air balloon floated down to land on the empty lot next to her home in rural Taos, New Mexico.

“Do you mind if we land here?” called Sol Lothe, the owner of Rio Grande Balloons, who was piloting a 97-foot tall rainbow-patterned balloon.

“Not at all,” Johnson replied.

Soon the 12 passengers were climbing clumsily out of the balloon’s wicker basket, as Lothe and his ground crew began the laborious task of dismantling the balloon and loading it back onto his truck, which had followed the balloon via radioed instructions.

Before leaving, Lothe gave Johnson a bottle of champagne – a longstanding tradition among balloonists, who have little control over what direction the balloon travels and therefore frequently land on strangers’ property.

Lothe’s balloon was one of 13 that flew as part of the Taos Mountain Balloon Rally, which took place from October 25-27th of this year. In addition to the mass ascension on Saturday morning, the rally also featured free tethered balloon rides for kids, a night-time trick-or-treat event, and a festival with local vendors and musicians.

For 41 years, the annual event has been scheduled just a few weeks after the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. About 130 miles away, the Taos Mountain Balloon Rally offers a very different experience, said Lothe, who is the president of the association that puts on the event.

“It’s never been intended to be a tourist destination,” Lothe said. “It’s always been a bit smaller, more focused on the community and the pilots that have supported the event over the years.”

While some mid-sized cities including Colorado Springs and Reno have famous balloon events, Lothe says that rural communities like Taos, with its beautiful, wide-open spaces are also great destinations for ballooning. And New Mexico’s dry climate, good weather, and predictable wind patterns make it an ideal place to fly balloons year-round.

As the owner of a local hot air balloon business, Lothe also sees the event as an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between pilots and local residents, many of whom have become impromptu hosts for balloons and their passengers over the years.

“The rally is a chance to give back to the community and to make ballooning something that the community of Taos looks forward to, and looks upon with a positive light,” he said.

Though some spectators and pilots did travel to Taos for the event, most of the crowd was made up of locals who got to enjoy front-row seats to the spectacle, and even get involved themselves.

Laurie Cheatham and her husband Paul traveled from La Verne, California to fly in the rally. While other pilots took school children on short rides on Friday morning, Cheatham tested her balloon rig. Her brightly colored balloon caught the eye of 11-year old Aurora Billington and her family. Soon three generations were assisting the Cheathams, weighing down the balloon and eventually helping to deflate it and put it away.

“We’re feeling very lucky,” said Dorothy Kaeck, a local midwife, who hadn’t expected such a hands-on experience when she came to the festival.

Sharing this sense of wonder and joy is an intrinsic part of being a balloon pilot, said Lothe, who takes an estimated 1,500 guests on flights each year.

“It’s such a surreal, fanciful, dreamlike activity,” he said. “Over the course of the flight I often watch people go from a little nervous starting off to really in awe of the whole thing. And being able to share this experience that leaves a memorable mark on their lives is the most intriguing thing for me.”

And for residents of Taos, like Cory Johnson, the opportunity to see balloons overhead – and right up close – is one of the things that makes their community special.

“It makes me feel really grateful to live in a place like this,” Johnson said.

This article first appeared on The Daily Yonder and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

—

Previously Published on dailyyonder.com with Creative Commons License

***

Does dating ever feel challenging, awkward or frustrating?

Turn Your Dating Life into a WOW! with our new classes and live coaching.

Click here for more info or to buy with special launch pricing!

***

On Substack? Follow us there for more great dating and relationships content.

---

Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.

All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community. A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities. A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community. #rcp_user_login_wrap {display: none;}.rcp_form fieldset {padding: 10px !important;}

Register New Account

    Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.

—

Photo credit: Hot air balloons fly over Taos, New Mexico, during the 41st Taos Mountain Balloon Rally in October. “This event is focused on the beauty of the balloons flying over Taos,” said Sol Lothe, who organized the event. (Photo by Anya Petrone Slepyan / The Daily Yonder)

This post was originally published on here