State of Ballooning - North Dakota

Balloon Life,July2000

North Dakota

So you aren’t likely to pass through North
Dakotaonyoursummervacation,but
ballooniststhere—allfive of them—say
you’dremember aflightintheirscenic
state.
“Landingspots are easy,” saidJohn
Boulger, one of twoactive balloonistsin
Fargo.“It’sadreambecausethereare
fields everywhere ineverydirection and
there’s a road always within a mile. It’s a
snap togo inandretrieve a balloon.”
Except in the springtime.
“Whenthe snow melts,it’s justtoo
messy,” he said.
The cold winters provide even more
landingspots,whenlakesandtheRed
River freeze over. Boulger has flown when
itwas10 below zero.
“I’m notgoingto dothatagain,” he
said. “It’sjustsohardtoputtheequip-
ment together.”
Dr. Tom Nagle, Fargo’s other active
balloonist,saidheprefersflyinginna-
tionalgrasslandsabout40milessouth-
west of town.
“Therearesomesandhills,small
sanddunes,andafairamountofland
down there,” he said. “That’s a wide open
areawithalotofwildlife,white-tailed
deer, turkeysandafewprairiechickens
down there.”
Bismarck, thestate capital, used to be
home to three balloonists, but two moved
away and the third, Wayne Metcalf, is not
veryactive.Unique featurestoflyover
there are shelterbelts, rows ofcottonwood
or ash trees, lilac or plum bushes planted
after thedustbowltopreventsoilfrom
blowingaway.
AlthoughSouthDakota’sBadlands
are morefamous—theirproximity to tour-
isty Mt. Rushmore helps—NorthDakota
has a similar terrain in the southwest part
of the state, complete with red clay cliffs,
wildhorses, bison and prairie dogs.
“Youcan flyin the park, butyou’re
notallowedtolandinthepark,”said
Terry Hendrickson,of Dunseith. Balloon-
istshavebeenknowntotakealongthe
park superintendent in the basket, so they
havealittle more clearance where they
may land.

Duane Hanson, of Grand Forks, flies
inthe Red River Valley, about 100 miles
wide and200mileslong,over cropsof
sugarbeets,potatoes,wheat,soybeans
and canola. He’s never had an angry land-
owner in 18yearsof flying.
“North Dakota has got quite a variety
of terrains,” hesaid. “You get outin the
Badlands, it’sroughcountry. Whenyou
get in the east, it’s asflatasa table top.”
With86,000people,Fargoisthe
state’slargestcity,andacrosstheRed
Riverfrom Moorehead, Minnesota.The
city usedto be home toa dozen balloon-
istsinthe ‘80s and the WildGoose Bal-
loonClub, with some 20members.
“Onanygoodevening,youusedto
see eight or 10 balloons in the sky,” Nagle
said.“Now,ifyouseeone,that’sabig
day.”
Therearenoballoonclubsinthe
state, no designated examiners or balloon
repairstations,althoughsomeaircraft
mechanicsarecertifiedtoinspectbal-
loons.
Rallies havebeen held nearBismarck
atFortLincoln,inDickinsonandat the
StateFairinMinot,butnotinrecent
years. There’stalkaboutstartingonein
Medo ra,nex tt otheBadl andsan d
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, pilots
say.RooseveltlovedtheBadlandsand
owneda huntingranch nearby.
Only one annual balloon rally is held
inthestate.Aboutsixballoons—they
needto importsome fromout of state—
gather each July at the International Peace
Garden,alongtheManitobaborderin
Dunseith, population 777.
The Peace Gardenis 1,400acresof
floral arrangements, lakes and native for-
est onthe border.
Otherthantheballoons,apopular
event featured at the rally is a free supper
for everyone.
Hendrickson has inadvertently flown
across the border into Canada twice. Bor-
der checkpoints are 20 to 40miles apart.
“Customs are real good about it. The
chasecrewgoesthroughCustomsand
tells them, then uponlanding, we have to
gotothenearestportandwetellthem

we’ll report back,” he said. “We’ve never
hada problem.”
Hendricksontriestofly30hoursa
year, andparticularly likes flyingin new
locations in the state.
“There are many towns in North Da-
kotaaballoonhasneverflownover,so
you geta lotof attention,” he said.
Whenout-of-stateballoonistsmeet
him, “they assumeit’s always windy here,
and they’re right, but ifyou plan 10 flights,
four of them will surely happen.”
Hend rickso n,call ed“Hurricane
Hendrickson”byotherballoonists,said
90 percent of his landings are in winds of
15 mph or more.
That’s one reason he doesn’t sell rides.
“ButifI’minthearea,I’mwillingto
exchange a ride with you in exchange for
crew or food,” he said. “I’ll fly for food.”
And because there’s so few balloon-
ists in the state, he’s never seen another in
the skywithhim except during the rally.
“Itnever happens,”he said.“Ifyou
saw another balloon, you’d go out of your
way to find the other guy. The chances of
kissing another ballooninNorth Dakota,
you’llwinamilliondollarsonthemil-
lionaire show first.”
No one flies regularly in the western
partofthestate.TheclosestisBrian
Ch ristianson,aballoon istan dwh eat
farmer wholives northof Minot.
“Minotiskindoffuntoflyover
because we have the Missouri River to go
over,” he said.
He callshis balloon“The Flights of
Amber”becausehefliesoversomuch
wheat, durum, sunflower fields and canola.
“One of the most challenging things
around here is we’ve got some big fields,
everythingisseededinthespring,”he
said. “When it’sharvested, it’s easy.”
While some people may think flying
overendlessfieldsofcropscouldget
boring, Christiansondoesn’tagree.
“Beingafarmer,Ireally enjoyit,”hesaid.
“Thesunflowersthatareyellow,thetrees
Minothas in it,to me,it’s just as spectacular as
anywhere else. It’s got itsown beauty and I
won’t ever get tired of that.”