Salt Lake City resident Tim Taylor married his wife in a hot air balloon 25 years ago and bought the same balloon.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019ve flown ever since,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This will be Taylor\u2019s third year taking part in the Hot Air Balloon Rodeo, an event he said he plans to make an annual tradition.<\/p>\n
The event runs from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Balloons will begin inflating at 6 a.m. and will launch from Bald Eagle Lake.<\/p>\n
There is no public parking at the event, so free transportation is provided from Meadows Parking Lot on Pine Grove Road. Transportation from the lots begins at 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Dogs are not allowed at the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really excited about this event,\u201d said Nikki Inglis, spokeswoman for the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association. \u201cThe weather was beautiful (Friday) for flights. There was barely any wind, and the pilots were happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
For those like Taylor, the event serves as a vacation for his family, and the weather and location allow for some of the best flying around.<\/p>\n
With the layers of air created in the Yampa Valley, he said, it allows balloons a calm ride.<\/p>\n
On Friday, he was able to go out for about two hours and land in the spot from which he took off.<\/p>\n
#\u201cWith a mountain on one side and another mountain on the other side, it creates a nice little cavern to fly in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Also at this year’s event, the Balloon Glow will be revived at 8 p.m. Saturday at the base of Steamboat Ski Area. Balloons will begin inflating at 8 p.m. with a countdown set for 8:45 p.m.<\/p>\n
The balloons will be tethered down but will illuminate. The last time the Balloon Glow was held was in 2003.<\/p>\n
“We\u2019ve wanted to bring it back for a long time,\u201d Inglis said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been trying to bring it back for years and finally got the OK.\u201d<\/p>\n