January 2000
Balloon Rally
air wasclean, still, and oh,
socrisp.Frostwouldhavebeenonthe
pumpkin, if there’d beenone, andbreath
came outinwispyclouds. My toes were
numbinmyBirkenstocks,andIwon-
dered howthe bagpipeplayer’s bare knees
werefaring,betweenwherehissocks
endedandhis kilt began. It was October
16, 1999, the second day of the three-day
“get ready to be blown away” rally spon-
soredby the Wildhorse CasinoResort at
Mission,Oregon, which is on the Umatilla
IndianReservationeastofPendleton.
Twenty-five balloonswerepreparingto
launch.
Casinoworkers threw quickglances
towardthe field as they spedinto and out
nearbyparkinglottostartor end
theirshifts.Otherthancrew,staff,and
one sleepytyke inpajamassittingin the
cab of a pick-em-up truck, there were few
spectatorsatthelaunch,andtherewere
onlyafewmoreontheroads.Which
made it super simple to pack up and chase.
(There had been a somewhat larger audi-
ence lured outside from the slot machines
and blackjack tables to watch the seven or
so balloons do their glow magic the night
before, while others watched from inside
the restaurant.)
At7:35a.m. ScottSpencer’sblack/
multicoloredMicronhare liftedoff, and
abouthalfanhourlateritlandedina
goldenfieldnearsomerailroadtracks.
theXwasout,Micronwasaloft
again,andoverthenexthour,several
skilledorlucky(orhappy-go-lucky)pi-
lotsmaneuvered intodropbeanbags or
jokingcomments(“Help,I’vefallenup
andI can’t getdown!”).
Aft erallwaspack edup ,t he
afternoon’s entertainment featured “spud
golf.” Ifyou’ve neverwatched “spudnuts”
inaction,thiscrazysport involvesstuff-
ing a piece of raw potato down one end of
a contraptionmadeof severallengths of
PCVpipe,blastingafewshotsofhair
spray (Aqua Net is said to be best) into the
otherend,aimingatsomethingafew
hundredfeetaway, andactivatingsome
sort of striker. The sparkignites the hair
spray and boom—the potato is launched—
attimeseven toward the target.
A superb salmon barbecue dinner on
Saturday night rewarded pilots and crew,
afterwhich many (myself included) made
modest donations to theslot machines and
tables. One thing that sets this casino apart
fromtheothersI’ve beento(other than
the nonsmoking slot room) isthe nearby
TamástsliktCultural Institute, which has
displaysonIndianlifetorivalmanya
museum.Thephotos,artifacts,andvid-
eos are well wortha visit.
Sunday morning was slightly warmer,
andagainthelaunchwentoffwithouta
hitch. The hare set down promptly at one
end of the Casino’s golf course, but only
ahandfulofpilotsspottedtheX.After
threedaysofcompetition,Jeff(Kong)
Shieldsfrom Portlandcame infirst, fol-
lowed by LaurieSpencer (Boise) and Crys-
tal Frame (Vancouver, WA).
AbigthankyoutoScottSpencer,
ChiefCarlSampson,andallthefolks at
theWildhorseCasinoResortforafun,
low-pressure, and educational event.
Winners in the center from
left to righ t, Laurie Spencer, Kong,
Crystal Frame.
Below:Balloons fly over open plains.
