Walla Walla Balloon Stampede

What a beautiful town! We've been wandering around it all day and Suzie and I both agree that we picked a most awesome time to visit. All the trees are blooming all over town and the weather is nice. It's a town that is very clean and friendly, and you can tell by the age of the trees that line the neighborhood streets that the homes and streets have been well-maintained for a long time.

Our drive here last night was a nicely laid-back journey with only one stop for dinner in Selah. The weather was nice and clear all the way and we got here just as it got dark. I guess the only thing we saw during the drive was the deer that ran across the road one car up from us as we neared town here.

Okay, I'm not going to lie--Our motel is kind of a dive. Reservations were sort of last minute so we didn't get to be very choosy. It's clean and well-equipped, but the bed... Hoo boy. We're actually considering putting the mattress on the floor tonight! The wireless internet works really great, and it has the usual amenities like fridge, microwave, etc. The hot water is barely adequate but that's okay if I still get the pleasure of ogling a freshly showered babe wrapped (barely) in a wet towel...

We got up early this morning for the big balloon event that started at 6:30. We were near it at a Safeway getting some coffee when we saw one of them go up.
"Our luck that will be the only balloon and we just missed it." I said sarcastically.
I couldn't have been more wrong. When we got there this is the scene that greeted us for a solid half hour. It was a huge mass of balloonists and spectators. The coolest thing was that people could get right up close and personal if they wanted to as evidenced in this shot:

It really was an excellent opportunity for people to see what makes ballooning what it is. We got to see them go through the whole thing from unfolding them and filling them with air via fans to heating them up and taking off. It was a photographer's dream!

After that ended, we took a couple-hour leisurely stroll up and down the main drag. We hit the Farmer's Market and a few stores, including Hot Poop, a great record/music store. Naturally, I had to get a t-shirt from them. After our stroll we went back to the fairgrounds for some more picture-taking, only this time is was a car show. We had a great time taking interesting shots like this:


The car show finished up with a visit to a horse race right next door. It was great. One thing about all those car shots we took (I took 200 and Suz took almost 300): We both needed a nap. Those pictures involved a LOT of deep-knee bends!

The cool thing about this trip? It's not over yet!