The Telluride Balloon Festival
It was my first Telluride Balloon Festival.
The weekend started off a bit rough for the festival. Apparently Saturday morning several balloons took off from Telluride Town Park only to be blown into a nearby hillside. What was described as a "rogue wind" came up shortly after liftoff and blew one balloon into a tree. One person handling one of the balloons suffered a minor injury. After the minor setback, it turned out to be a great weekend in Telluride.
I arrived at the Telluride Balloon Festival Saturday afternoon. I met some friends staying over in Mountain Village and shortly after we hopped the gondola over the mountain down into town. After dinner, we hit Main Street and jockeyed for position to take in the "Glow." About a half dozen balloons fire up at dusk right down the middle of town. If you've not made it over to Telluride for this festival, add it to your list. It's truly an amazing site.
The next morning the crew make the short, but steep, hike up the Cornet Creek Trail to the Cornet Falls. A very cool spot literally on the edge of town. I plan to be back in Telluride in just over a month for The Ride Festival. I don't want to miss Grace Potter and her performance on Sunday. She's incredible.