The 7th Annual Kalamazoo Balloon Fest flew through my backyard

This past weekend on a quiet Friday night, I was lounging on the couch when I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. I looked out my sliding glass door and saw 3 balloons fly past my townhouse.

It was the 7th Annual Kalamazoo Balloon Fest coming right down the road. You could hear the flames heating up the balloon and smell the fuel used to lift this amazing balloon up and down. Yet, how does it all work? Hotairballoons.com explains how these giant majestic balloons sail through the skies...

It's a very basic principle: Hot air rises and cold air sinks. So while the super-cooled air in your grocer's freezer settles down around the food, the hot air in a hot air balloon pushes up, keeping the balloon floating. To descend, the pilot allows the air to cool and the balloon becomes heavier than air. The pilot has complete control of the up-and-down movements by controlling the heat in the envelope.

The balloons seemed completely in control as they floated past. Unfortunately, my phone died just as the 3rd balloon passed, but here is the 2nd balloon that strolled by.

 

Heather McGregor/TSM
Heather McGregor/TSM
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It was an unexpected beautiful show on a Friday night in Kalamazoo.

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