During the early part of each year there are very few balloon events scheduled. The weather is usually unpredictable and it is hard for balloonists to get time off before summer. One of the early events we always look forward to is the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Invitational Balloon Rallye which is held in Los Lunas, New Mexico.

This year the event was held the weekend of March 16 & 17 and even though the weather is traditionally bad in March, the weather for the morning flights this year were great. On Saturday we all chased the Hare out to Tome Hill, a religious shrine in the town of Tome. After most of the balloonists dropped their baggies, they flew out into a wide open area called the east mesa.

On Sunday most of the balloons headed to the north east, a 90 degree change from Saturday’s flight. After everyone landed safely, we all returned to the launch site to refuel and tailgate. One of the special parts of the St. Patrick’s Rallye is that everyone comes with big spreads for the crew, and we all party into the afternoon.