The alarm buzzes. It is still dark and feeling pretty darn cool.  I slip out from under the covers and start the coffee.  At 5:01 (quiet hours end at 5) the generator purrs to life and the bagel toast goes down.  We stumble around getting dressed in the half-light.  This is day one of the Balloon Fiesta for us and The Dawn patrol lifts off at 6AM.  We are going to be there!

Perfect, the shuttle bus pulls up just as we step out of the door. A quick ride and we step off onto the launch field and join the many other sleepy eyed folks scanning the food stands for a warm cup of coffee.  Balloons are already stretched out all over the field but there is plenty of time, its 5:40.  We stake out a spot and wait.  Geeze, my toes are cold!  The laser show begins.  Lights pierce the still dark sky as light beams dance to an odd hodgepodge of tunes.  The lasers go dark; an announcer’s voice that we can’t always quite understand floats out toward us.

Then we see it, fabric just in front of us begins to billow as balloon inflation starts. It is the Dawn Patrol; 13 balloons with the dual duties of “awe the crowd” and “test out the wind currents” for the pilots of the mass ascension.

Short test bursts from burners light up the sky as cool-air inflation fans roar and balloons fill until they pop upright into a row of huge lightbulb shapes. Balloons glow softly as pilots add heat.  One by one they lift off.  With a bit of adjustment to the burners, the flames go brilliant yellow setting the stripes, checks, and patterns aglow in a choreographed dance.  Great job guys with phase one, the crowd is awestruck.  They continue to rise and map out currents for the hundreds of balloons to follow.