Tag Archives: hot

Hot Air Balloon Searching for a Landing Spot

Nice evenings during the summer mean balloon flights over Woodinville and the surrounding area.  I was driving home one evening and, as I came up I-405, I could see a balloon that looked like it might be close to home.  Rather than turn towards the house, I headed for one of the nearby fields that has been a landing zone for balloons before (and that have made it into posts on here).  When I got there, the balloon was close but was tracking slightly west of the field so no way it was going to make it in.  It was heading towards the town so I decided to drive towards the south side of the town to see where it might end up.

I was coming around the south side on the road that skirts the town and the traffic had come to a halt.  This was because everyone was watching the balloon low overhead.  I actually took a shot through the sunroof of the car as it came low over me.  I looped around the roundabout but didn’t take the south exit because the crew seemed to be heading that way and I didn’t need to crowd things.

I went around to the next road and looked back across the fields as the balloon continued on its way.  It wasn’t touching down so I guess the area was not ideal.  I figured I might head a little further south and see if it came even further.  I took the road to Redmond and pulled off at one of the field entrances.  Sure enough, they were still drifting south but looked like they might finally be getting close to landing.  I didn’t shoot much video, but I did get a little to emphasize the way the balloon was drifting through the trees.  As I watched it, the ground crew pulled up and started honking at me.  They were incredibly rude.  As soon as I saw them arrive, I was getting out of the way.  Not my fault that they were struggling to catch their balloon, but they behaved like everyone should just get out of their way.  I did anyway but, if you are reading this balloon crew, don’t be assholes to bystanders if you are struggling to recover your balloon and its passengers.

Balloon Deflation Video

The arrival of the balloon in Woodinville resulted in a previous post of the balloon flying in and another of the crew once the balloon was on the ground.  I didn’t just shoot stills during the post landing time, though.  I also decided to get a little video of the process of deflating the balloon.  I was surprised how long it took but, while there is a large vent on the top of the balloon, once the envelope is lying on its side, the vent is no longer at the top and the air needs to be squeezed out.  Here is the video I put together.

Hot Pools Hide Themselves

The colorful pools of hot springs in Yellowstone can be quite stunning to see.  Visiting in the deep of winter means they are surrounded with snow and ice but a lot less people.  The colors are still there but the low temperatures mean that clouds of steam form above the surface.  Gentle gusts of wind might briefly blow the steam away to reveal the intense colors beneath but the steam rapidly returns.  As you look into the pools you can see the colors well but it makes for a harder time getting photographs.  You give it a try but then just spend time enjoying the impressiveness of the pools.

Palace Sightseeing is No Fun When It’s Hot

On my first visit to Tokyo, a few years ago, I made a brief visit to the park around the Imperial Palace.  I decided to take another look during my first visit this year.  However, while I knew it was going to be hot (it had been incredibly hot and humid all week) but the exposed area around the palace combined with the beating sun meant it was pretty uncomfortable.  There were still plenty of tourists though.

I walked along one side of the palace grounds near the main entrance and then along the moat to some of the more famous viewing locations.  I got a few shots as I walked along but it is fair to say I was not totally in to it.  After I had got a bit further on, the heat was really getting to me and the desire to be back in the shade overtook any desire to explore further.  There was a running club finishing their run which seemed amazing to me as I could hardly handle walking.  Time to retreat.