Eighty-two balloons signed up for the fifth annual Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally sponsored by Norwest Banks. Friday's weather was spectacular in the Mesilla/Las Cruces area and spirits were high at the Friday night reception for pilots and crew held at the Mesilla Valley Inn. It was a great mixer with an ample buffet and no-host beer and wine bar.
Unfortunately the wind gods did not smile down upon the rally Saturday morning. The ascension was called off as winds whipped up at speeds unfriendly to balloonists. This was an unfortunate first for the rally. But all was not lost. The weather turned incredibly beautiful again and several pilots decided to go for an afternoon flight launching from SWIG field, the official site of the rally. Many local residents turned out to watch this impromptu mini-rally. This was also to be the first annual balloon glow for the rally and the weather was perfect. The skies put on a spectacular show at sunset that gave way to the beauty of a balloon glow. Winds were as close to calm as they can get and made the glow a piece of cake for pilots and crews. A little over twenty balloons signed up for the glow and provided an excellent show. Norwest extended its gratitude to participating pilots with champagne and Miss Penny and Lil Buck pins.
Sunday morning greeted the pilots with variable winds but the launch was a go. Since Saturday was a wash, it was decided balloons would leave the field in two waves. Competition would be on as well with the first wave following the Bear Claw hare balloon out and the second wave would follow the Norwest Standard balloon. The winds were blowing in a southeasterly pattern and the first wave was up very quickly and away from the field on their way toward Old Mesilla. The second wave was more colorful as the balloons left the field a little more slowly as the winds died a bit when the sun was higher on the horizon. Chase crews were challenged by the maze of county and state roads and lots of pecan orchards but it also made the retrieval more gratifying. A couple of balloons ended up in a drainage area for the mesa's arroyos and were well hidden from their chase crews. They were eventually retrieved with the help of local residents that knew the dirt roads in to the area.
In spite of the lost morning Saturday, the rally can be considered a success which owes its thanks to the many people that put in their valuable time and effort to ensure the pilots had a good time. Some of the people involved include: Rebecca Owen, Rally Chairperson; John Kemp, Balloonmeister; Harold Connell, P.S.L., Logistics & Field Officer; Cathy Hicks-Lujan, L.C.P.S., Weather/Air Space Officer; Steve Early, Safety Officer, Vernon Wilson, Propane Officer; Mike Mayne, Launch Officer; and of course those charming penguins, the launch directors: Gwen Mayne, Sue Fender, Doug Parten, Patti Havistad, Penny MacNeill, Dennis Sutton, Byron Hicks, and Jenny Early.
The Las Cruces/Old Mesilla area is full of opportunities to pass non-ballooning time. The Las Cruces Farmers & Crafts Market is held each Wednesday and Saturday morning in the Las Cruces Downtown Open Air Mall; hikers can go visit Dripping Springs in the foothills of the Organ Mountains just ten miles east of Las Cruces; Old Mesilla provides restaurants, shopping and a bit of history with Billy the Kid as the main character, White Sands National Monument is less than an hour away, and of course El Paso and its sister city, Juarez are just a few miles down the road on I-10. There is always plenty to do in the area and the weather is typically warm and sunny.
