God, I love the smell of propane in the morning.
I must sound like an escapee from "Apocalypse Now". And honestly, I am okay with that. As my friends will tell you - and the author of this blog I'm guesting for - I have always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie.
When I look back, I can't pinpoint the exact moment where my brain mentally stripped itself of the fear of heights and ridiculously dangerous stunts, or if I just never had it. As a teenager, I climbed up on rooftops to count stars while my mother worked night shift (oops. Sorry, mom). Later in college, I would climb atop police barricades, or hang outside the window of the highest building on campus. And at summer ninja camp, learning to climb up trees in the dark, be in shadow. (yes, camps for ninjas exist. Just try to find us. heh.) I was the family daredevil who coaxed my dear aunt to go skydiving with me, and later a group of six fantastic women to do a Class Five white water rafting expedition. My father, of course, had no issue taking his first born on his roofing jobs. :) Funny how that works.
Rest easy, I am not nuts. I have always loved just being way up as high as possible, like a bird perching itself on the farthest reaches of a a tree branch, all the green of the world draped as far as the eye can see. Is it any wonder that the "Wizard Of Oz" is one of my favorite movies?
It was only a matter of time before hot air balloons floated its way into my heart and imagination.
Here in the far reaches of northern Maine, the end of summer brings with it the Crown Of Maine Balloon Fest, or as we in the know call it, COMBF - or the week that nobody in PI sleeps, and I am sure the amount of Tim Horton coffee consumption triples by crew and pilots alike.
This year, COMBF was held August 22 - 25, with balloon launches held at dawn (5am, hence the exorbitant java consumption) and dusk (5pm). On average, about a dozen pilots come from near (3 local pilots, two are a father-son duo based in PI, and a retired pilot from Caribou who I fondly call my grumpy guy), and far as Quebec, Florida, and Alabama. A lot of these pilots come from urban areas that have heavily regulated airspace. And as you can imagine, not many open spaces to launch and land. Fortunately, Aroostook County has many open green fields just waiting to be graced by a balloon landing.
And the pilots, I have often heard them say, truly love coming to our far little corner of Maine to fly.
The best ways to experience COMBF is one of four ways: as a photographer, as a crew member, as a passenger, and as a pilot, of course.
For amateur and professional photographers alike, the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest has an amateur photography contest with awards given to whoever submits the most captivating photo during the festival. Details and contest rules are posted on the festival's website, crownofmaineballoonfest.org along with the photographs of previous year's winner. During the festival week, you will see many cars pulled alongside fields and farm roads with their long lenses, gawking at the colors on parade, and hoping to get that perfect shot. The contest judges often have difficulty settling on one photo as the winner, they see so many beautiful entries!
For a fee and a little courage, you can also become a passenger. To score a spot with a pilot, you should contact the Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce and speak with a staff person there, who have a list of pilots who take passengers. Be advised that hot air ballooning is very much weather dependent. The wind conditions must be right, and rain is definitely NOT good for the equipment, or to fly in. So if you are scheduled to fly, be patient and prepared for a cancellation if the weather is bad. The pilots do want to see you have a wonderful experience flying, so they do reschedule at the next possible time. Also, keep in mind that pilots fly at only two times, dawn and dusk. They do not do middle of the day. So you need to be flexible and open to a flight at dawn if you can't, or are unable to do a dusk flight. Yes, you will lose a few hours of sleep, but seeing a sunrise over the green fields of the County from the air is well worth it, I assure you!
Another way to experience the festival, if you're not afraid of a little elbow grease, is as a crew member to a pilot. If you'd like to experience ballooning up close and personal, and are not afraid to lose an extra few hours of sleep for the week, then this may be right up your alley! If you are truly interested, you need to contact the Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce and let them know you would like to crew. You will need to attend a mandatory training session for crew and pilot members to review basic safety rules, and be assigned to a pilot.
Once the festival starts, you will need to report to the launch fields at 5am (yep, you read that right. Not a typo.) and 5pm for launches. It is work, for certain. You will be helping lift heavy equipment, rolling out the balloon fabric, exposed to high heat, possibly driving the chase vehicle, assisting in both the unpacking and packing of the gear, and lack of sleep. So why do it? Because its FUN WORK. :) You will meet and learn from experienced, kind pilots who have a passion for what they do. You will be surrounded by other people working just as hard as you, with attitudes kissed by sunshine. Because how can you not feel happy by all the color that surrounds you, and the wonder you see on the passengers' faces? Oh, and the stories you will be regaled with by the pilots and crew. Like the one pilot who had a balloon land in his backyard, that so enchanted his young son, that somehow ballooning became a family affair. Or the one morning that a pilot landed on a farm, and a family of young Amish girls came running out to greet them in their long dresses and bare feet, showing childlike glee at the wonderful sight in front of them. Or how one pilot lowered the basket low enough over an apple orchard, so a passenger could pluck an apple from the very top of a tree.
If you find yourself bit by the ballooning bug and want to become a pilot yourself, there are schools in the United States, and pilots to mentor under. Like all things, becoming a pilot takes time, patience, hard work and the willingness to do your homework.
Tips On Enjoying the Festival -
1 - Be willing to give up a little sleep for a couple days;
2 - Be a courteous driver. You will see chase vehicles on the road, whose primary jobs are to not lose sight of the pilot and balloon and to guide them from the ground via walkie-talkies or cell phones on where to best land. These vehicles make frequent stops, so do not tailgate. Be mindful of the photographers who are also making frequent stops to pull over and take photographs. So be aware as you`re driving.
3 - Do go to at least one Balloon Glow during the festival. Glows happen when the pilot and crew return to the fairgrounds and inflate their balloons, the propane flames visible in the dark. It is truly a beautiful sight.
4 - Check out the schedule of events at COMBF website, http://www.crownofmaineballoonfest.org/events/, for a full listing of events. There are bands playing, a street fair, food trucks, a 5k road race to raise money for Aroostook Teen Leadership Camp, just to name a few.
I have been both lucky and blessed to be both a crew member, a passenger, and a couple times, a student pilot! Perhaps someday, I will be one of the certified pilots to fly at the festival.
If ever there was a truly remarkable way to experience the beauty of Maine, it is from a hot air balloon. It is from way up high, that all the world looks amazing and full of potential.
If by chance, you do make your way to the festival, I hope that you do get to see or perhaps even fly in one of the beautiful balloons floating through the County skies.
May the winds always be at your back!
