March 3rd or 3/3 is known as 303 Day, a day in which we use the original Colorado area code to celebrate the Centennial State. I’ve shared pics of this beautiful balloon before but here is one from an angle I have not put out. Taken in November 2022, I spent a good chunk of the morning chasing it, getting pics from just about every angle – including directly below it. Certainly, my favorites are still the ones with the snow-capped mountains in the background but this is fun for something different.
Taking flight for Colorado Day 2023
On August 1, 1876, President Ulysses S. Grant signed Proclamation 230, formally admitting Colorado to the union as the 38th state. Becoming a state in the same year as the nation’s 100th birthday, Colorado is proudly known as the “Centennial State.”
Much has changed in the 147 years since then but, just as it was then, Colorado is a very special place and one which I am proud to have been born and raised in and to still call home. This image, taken last November, is from a series of this way cool balloon adorned with a look like our state flag and is an image I haven’t shared before. It was a very cool opportunity to photograph this gorgeous aircraft, particularly with those snow-capped Rocky Mountains that we are known for in the background.
Happy birthday, Colorado!
Balloons take to the skies of northern Colorado
The town of Erie’s balloon festival is normally in May but this year all of the rain we had turned the field into a muddy mess so it was postponed to this weekend. About 20 balloons were inflated with most taking to the skies making for some very colorful scenes. I don’t usually post pics the day I take them but I figure some locals may want to go check out this event as it continues tomorrow. Head over to the Erie Chamber website for details. Thank you to the town of Erie, the chamber and the balloonists for putting on a fun show!
Colorado balloon flying high for 303 Day
March 3rd or 3/3 is known as 303 Day, a day in which we use the original Colorado area code to celebrate the Centennial State.
Being a Colorado native and having lived here my entire life other than my time in the Navy, I take great pride in this place that I call home. Like many longtime residents, I do sometimes lament the tremendous growth we have seen and some of the changes that came from it but it still is a pretty cool place to live.
As for this image, it was taken back in November when I spent a good chunk of the morning following this beautiful balloon as it floated in the air on the Colorado Front Range. The view of it and the snow-covered Rocky Mountains pretty much scream, “Colorado.”
Moon and balloon
Another capture from my photo session with this cool Colorado-adorned hot air balloon this past weekend. I soooo wanted it to get closer to the waning gibbous moon but it never did quite line up as I had hoped. Nevertheless, it is cool to capture the two objects against that gorgeous blue sky.
The best thing I saw in Colorado yesterday was…
The best thing I saw in Colorado yesterday was… Colorado itself – above and below.
My morning photo excursion was not going well. I had covered a lot of miles and spent a lot of time to find nothing, it was 8:30am and I had not clicked the shutter once and that is bad. As I made a stop to look for critters, I looked to the south and saw some hot air balloons in the sky.
It had been a few years since I had a quality photo session with the famous Colorado balloon so I raced south to catch it. While I took pics of the other balloons too, this one, of course, stole the show, particularly when it descended and was in front of those gorgeous, snow-capped Rocky Mountains.
We’re lucky to live in a place where scenes like this are pretty routine. I do my best not to take it for granted.
A touch of Colorado in the air
I really would have loved to have had a closer view of this gorgeous balloon flying in the distance this morning but didn’t do too bad as it was. Just another, gorgeous fall day in the Centennial State.
Hot air balloon soars above the snow-covered Rocky Mountains
Another one of those beautiful, “This is Colorado” scenes that we oftentimes take for granted here. Sitting at St. Vrain State Park this past Saturday, I could see this balloon rising into the calm, cool morning air far off in the distance. It was initially too far away but eventually it drifted east allowing for a nice capture. Yeah, we live in a pretty cool place.
Hot air balloons on the Colorado Front Range
A couple of quick snaps from this past weekend of hot air balloons I spotted. Balloons are a common sight on calm days and it is easy to see why – who wouldn’t want to fly with the Rocky Mountains serving as a backdrop?
One image, taken Saturday, shows some thunderstorms brewing far off in the distance over the mountains. The second, taken on Sunday, shows a different balloon that seems to mimic the landscape behind.
Rocky Mountain high in a hot air balloon
A beautiful spring morning is the shadows of the mountains photographing wildlife and just enjoying being outdoors.
Sunday found me in my element but I did train my camera on a different flying “creature” than what I normally photograph. This beautiful balloon was among a half dozen taking advantage of the calm weather along the northern Front Range that morning.
Years ago I flew in a hot air balloon at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and if you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend going for a flight. It was an experience that still resounds with me today. The quiet aloft was just amazing.