Hot air balloon rallies are awesome, and the 2016 Great Prosser Hot Air Balloon Rally was fantastic! Over a dozen of the best hot air balloon pilots from Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma, Auburn, and Portland drove out to Prosser last weekend to fly together. Check out this video of Seattle Ballooning’s hot air balloon flight below.
At Seattle Ballooning, we love to be the first to launch, and that’s exactly what happened both mornings. After gaining 600ft of altitude, we descended to the surface and caught a Southeasterly wind bringing us directly over the Yakima River. The surface of the river was glassy and reflective, giving hot air balloon photographers the photo session of a lifetime.
Balloonists love to put on a good show for spectators. The main bridge that crosses the Yakima River was filled with hundreds of families, children, and amateur photographers. The crowd cheered almost constantly as one balloon after another skimmed the bottom of their basket into the water.
Seattle Ballooning’s Chief Pilot Eliav Cohen, skimmed the water on the Northside of the bridge, then hopped over the bridge and did a second splash and dash on the Southside. Two splash and dashes are always better than one!
After playing in the river for over an hour we ascended to 900ft and made our way over to a perfect landing spot. What a fantastic day!
