Pilots, crowd blown away by MV fest

The casual observer might say last weekend's first-ever Monument Valley Balloon Festival was about one-third successful.

Of the three events planned - two launches and a night glow - only one launch was held before horrendous winds kicked up and derailed the rest of the event.

Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Geri Hongeva, however, would disagree with that assessment.

"From our point of view, it was a success," she said. "We accomplished our goal, which was to introduce something new and different to the park, and have a nice, free event that the local community could participate in. I myself heard nothing but positive comments."

No one got hurt, all the VIPs on the guest list and several members of the media got a ride, and the 15 pilots, rather than being disappointed, were ecstatic at the opportunity to float among the iconic rock formations even for a day.

"Balloonists are pretty used to events being cancelled because of weather," Hongeva said. "It's a very weather-dependent sport."

Saturday morning dawned cool and sunny, absolutely perfect for a jaunt among the spires. About 400 people turned out to take the shuttle down to the launch area near Rain God Mesa or watch through binoculars from the balcony of their motel rooms.

The View motel was full, and the restaurant and gift shop were teeming with tourists and locals. This reporter heard at least four foreign languages.

In the visitor center, the Navajo Code Talkers were doing brisk business autographing and selling books. The proceeds will go to the planned $16 million code talker museum and veterans' center in Tse Bonito, N.M.

Parks officials had predicted locals from nearby chapters would show, but among the many Navajos in the crowd were some from as far away as Crystal, N.M., and Indian Wells, Ariz.

"We wanted to see history in the making," said a young man from Indian Wells, who had roused his family at 1:30 a.m. to be sure they made it to the park by sunrise.

One young woman had traveled from California to visit her boyfriend in Window Rock and see the colorful sight.

"I've never been to Monument Valley and I've never seen hot air balloons, ever, so this is awesome," she said.

A group of Japanese tourists had left their earthquake-devastated homeland to take in something beautiful. The View's Diné chef, MacNeal Crank, was up at 4 a.m. preparing their breakfast: miso soup, salmon and sticky rice.

The Japanese prefer a protein fix in the morning to the usual cholesterol-ridden American fare, he explained - just one thing you learn when you're cooking for the world.

Watching from the ground, ballooning looks effortless, but it's a sport that takes a working knowledge of physics and a lot of skill. Directional control of the craft is minimal, so a pilot maneuvers up or down to catch the wind he wants.

In a place like Monument Valley, huge differences in temperature between day and night can cause thermal currents, and the maze of mesas and spires also channel the wind.

Most balloonists won't go up in winds of more than 12 mph, and by afternoon, gusts of 50 to 60 mph were making it unpleasant to be outside, much less in a fragile wicker basket under a big nylon sail. By then, fortunately, everybody was safely on the ground.

"We wanted to make sure we invited very experienced pilots, all of whom were from the Four Corners," Hongeva said.

To do that, they hired a "balloonmeister," Brian Hill of Page, Ariz. Balloonists from all over the country wanted to participate, but Parks and Rec insisted on limiting participation to 15.

"It's a very fragile environment, where you have livestock and people living," Hongeva explained. "After consulting with the residents and hearing their concerns, we decided a very limited event, in a limited airspace, would cause the least disruption."

While individuals and groups of balloonists have obtained permission to float over the park, this was the first time it hosted an organized balloon event.

Among the VIPs who were allowed to help a balloon crew was Vice President Rex Lee Jim. Jim admitted to "a few butterflies" before he went up, but afterward pronounced the ride "wonderful."

"I wish there was some way they could do it so every child in the Navajo Nation could go up there," he said.

There really is nothing like it, said Bayfield, Colo., pilot Phil Campbell.

"It was phenomenal," he said after touching down near Black's Horseback Tours and getting a horseback escort from the guides as his crew pulled his hovering basket to a safe landing site.

"We were about 50 feet from one of those buttes," Campbell said. "You can't even do that in a helicopter."

When she came to work Monday, Hongeva already had several e-mails from balloonists around the country wanting to participate in next year's event, and some had attempted to friend her on Facebook.

"We haven't even decided whether to make it an annual event," she said. "Obviously, there's a lot of interest."

By the way, balloonists, you're wasting your time sucking up to Hongeva.

"I'm certainly not the one who's going to be making the cut," she said.

Back to top ^