June1999
thecelebrationoftheholidayseason,balloonevents
usuallyslow down toa snoring slumber.Thenon a colddayin
January the phone rang. Bill Lee was onthe horn and extended
an invitation to fly in the Valley of the Gods. The park is located
near a tiny town called Bluff, Utah. He told my husband Ron that
youcouldsee Monument Valleyfromtheair!How couldone
refuse such a tempting carrot dangling before our imagination?
Th ebeauti fu ls ettin gt hath ed es cri bedwasaball oon
photographer’splay -ground, of course we said yes!
In route we enjoyed the scenery and plenty of jokes with our
crew, Norm and Kay Hoelting. The sun was setting andcolored
the sky over the desert with its warmth as we approached the town
ofBluff,Utah. We checked our paperwork for the hotel name and
location. The Desert Rose Inn would be our
home for the weekend of January22-24th.
The hotelturned outtobe newlybuiltlog
cabinswiththetouchofGranny’slove.
Each unit was decorated with its ownindi-
vidualstyle.Theproprietors’Amerand
Cindy Tumeh were the most gracious hosts
forourweekendstay.Theirfamilyalso
owns several other businessesintown, in-
cluding the Twin Peaks restaurant.
Fridaynigh twascheckinatthe
Steakhouse Restaurant. HowardBrundage
greeted us at the front door of therestaurant.
Hewouldbeourhostforthisevening’s
gathering.BillLeewasintroducedasour
friendlyballoonmeister. We were all look-
ingforwardtoflyingthevalleytomorrow
andhopedtheweatherwouldbeballoon
friendlyin the morning.
Saturdaymorningtheentiregroupof
balloon trucks, trailers,RVs, crew and spec-
tators joined together for the convoyout to
the Valley of the Gods. The area is Bureau of Land Management
Land. Wewere firmly instructed to stay on designated roads at all
times.
An employee from the Bureau of Land Management office
came alongtobe assuredthat we alldidfollow that instruction.
Aseveryonedashedofftoinflate theirballoons, Inoticedthe
brilliant colors that played in the canyons all around me. This is
definitely going to turn into a “Kodak Moment.” After we put our
“ALittleExposure”balloonupandloadedourpassengers,I
grabbedmycameraandclickedaway.Thecontrastofthe
balloons, towering rocks and canyons was absolute magic to the
eyes.Itwaslikelookingatamanmaderainbowinadesert
canyon-landsetting.
The chase was an interesting one. After our balloon flew off
tofollow theone andonlyroadthattookusona
journey through the Valley of the Gods. The towering buttes and
rockformationsweresomassiveandpowerfulintheearly
morninglight.Wealwaysenjoychasingballoons,butthis
morning we were captured by the wonder of nature all around us.
This was indeed a Valley of the Gods! I could only imagine what
this spectacular scenery looked like from the air while flying the
balloon. I knew it would be a memorable flight for all on board,
includinga firsttimepassenger thatwe pickedupasanextra
crewmember. Markus Lotchinski, ournewfound friend and crew
person,wasintheareatouringfromGermany.Todaywas
definitely his lucky day for sight seeingand soaring the skies in
this most beautiful setting. After a full and successful flight, Ron
landed on the one and only road. The stories
andcelebration that followedwas engaged
in with great joy. We decided thatSaturday’s
afternoonactivitieswouldincludeexplor-
ing the canyons, and Monument Valley. No
powernapswereincluded.Therewasso
much to see and do before the weekend was
over.
OnSundayweawoketoaverylow
ceiling of clouds. They rolled in andwe all
knew the answer for thismorning’sflight.
Thedecisionwasmadeandpilot,Mike
Gibsonsealeditbypoppingthefamiliar
cork fromitsbottle andpouring aglass of
Champagne for everypilotatthebriefing.
Thebottletothrottle rule appliedfor this
morning’sflightplan,andweathersitua-
tion.Theonlyballoonthat didflywasan
unmannedradiocontroltoyballoon.The
youthfulcrew flapinflateditandputheat
intoitsenvelope.Everyonecheeredata
successful inflation. It rocked a bit and then
ittooktoflight. Childrenandadults chasedthe floatingtoyon
foottoitsfinalplaceofrest.Wedidn’tgoawayfromthis
morning’s cancellation of flying events completely disappointed.
A goodbye breakfast was served at the TwinPeaks Restau-
rant. The cook was none other than Cindy, our hotel sponsor. She
wears many hatsanddoesitquite well.
Our weekendinBluff wasaneventfulone.The trip home
wasinterrupted bymanystopsalongthe wayfor photography.
We toured through Canyon De Chelly National Monument, with
its manypullouts to scenic views, and ancient Indian ruins built
into the rugged cliffs belowus. It made the truck ride homea more
enjoyable one. Asphotographerswe alwaystryto explore and
take aphoto opportunity when wecan. It was well worth thetime,
andthe memories thatwe capturedon film.
