Seeking sunny spots...

The clouds settled in, and the light values suffered. Sometimes, one part of town would have an open area of blue sky, while another would be socked in. There is a nice rock formation called Kachina Woman, at the entrance to beautiful Boynton Canyon.  http://www.divexprt.com/HDRphotography/Sedona/6RedRockSecretMountain/RedRckSecretMtn.html

I'm flying the Inspire from down by the resort you see in the valley below. This is when a drone really confers huge advantages. Taking my videos this way sure beats climbing all the way up there...

Once I had maneuvered the drone out on the sunny side of the formations, the color values improved.

 

There is a community on the Dry Creek Road with the colorful name, 'Lizard Head Estates.' You understand the rather odd name as you approach...

 

 

Bell Rock is on the South side of Sedona, where the clouds are most persistent. I could never get really clear sky, so I looked for times when a thinner cloud layer was over the formation. Beggars can't be choosers...

 

A family with children expressed a lot of interest in the Inspire, so I videoed them as they began their hike up to the base of Bell Rock.  http://www.divexprt.com/HDRphotography/Sedona/3BellRckCourtHseButte/BellRckCourtHseButte.html

 

 

As with Kachina Woman, it is much easier to fly to the top than to climb up there...

 

 

Oh, for some really clear skies! Still, having a blast working on drone-flying skills!

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2 in Sedona...

Moving swiftly because the weather forecast is ominous, I raced around Sedona today to video some unusual targets with my drones. Not only is rain in the forecast, but today was plagued from my old nemesis on my Canada trip--smoke from big fires.

This formation, Chimney Rock, is quite near my motel, so I went there first thing in the morning and put the Phantom up:

 

Then I went to Back O' Beyond Road and put the Inspire drone up to video the morning side of Cathedral Rock:

Taking advantage of some morning sunlight, the next target was in Upper Sedona--the Wilson Mountain region:

 

On day I, I stopped by the Midgly Bridge on my way South from Flagstaff, but the wind was too strong for the drones. Today the wind was pretty weak, so I put the Inspire drone out over the cliff to view the bridge and Oak Creek Canyon from the air. Note that the formation known as Steamboat Rock sits on the hilltop high above the bridge.

 

 

We see it above us as soon as the drone lifts off:

 

 

 All of the traffic coming into Sedona from the main East-West Highway 40 passes this point just North of Sedona:

 

 

 

Yes, I know. It's only a bridge.

 

 

OK, enough bridge traffic. When I was here a few years ago, I went up Schnebly Hill Road to take some shots back at the formations which tower above the town. I guess there's been some heavy rain (and no road repairs) since then. Oh--and I only put up this short clip, but there are miles of this...

 

 

That's the price you--er, your long-suffering car, pays for scenery like this:

 

 

 

Off for more flying, if the weather forecast is wrong... 

Another adventure--in Sedona, Arizona!...

Driving from Vegas to Sedona, one can punish oneself by diverting via the Meteor Crater near Winslow. I covered the crater from the Visitor Center at the northern end a few years ago. http://www.divexprt.com/TravelWndrsWorld/5MeteorCrater/MeteorCrater.html

  This time, I went to the far (southern) end, where an abandoned gypsum mine sits right below the rim:

The drive on those desert roads isn't hard, and the gypsum mine is a good launch site for the Inspire drone: I flew it for several minutes, so this is a very brief clip from the flight:

Driving from Flagstaff South through Oak Creek Canyon, we go over the Midgley Bridge. I wanted to fly the drone, but the wind was up in the canyons and the light was from the wrong direction:

 

One of the beautiful spots in Sedona is the chapel of the Holy Cross, whose design was by an admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright.The Chapel is built in an alcove of huge sandstone cliffs, a gorgeous frame for the design. I wanted to fly the Inspire here, but was originally denied permission by two of the volunteers who protect the site by monitoring the visitors.

After I explained to them that my flight was purely non-commercial, they very kindly let me launch. Again, this is a short clip from a long video that I'll edit when I get home:

 

Sedona tests an interesting theory about both settings like this valley and, say, zoos. In both cases, we sacrifice a small number of attractions by surrounding them with visitors and/or residents. The hope is that this proximity and publicity will generate stronger support for preserving all the others.

 

In Sedona, we have towering sandstone formations dotting a large landscape, with roads, homes and even highways everywhere between them.

 

 

In the next few days, I'm hoping for clear skies and lots of flights. The Red Baron bids you a temporary adieu...

 

 

Day 5 It's calm, and I learn new insights...

The weather forecast has been predicting one of those Mexican storms moving in this weekend. The crews alerted me that the next few days will be iffy, and then let me in on some inside-baseball material,

First was the burners. We see them being fired up into the balloon bags (hot air providing maximum lift), but the crew does a warm-up firing when the balloon is being assembled. As you can see, they were showing off!

The crew inflates the bag, then moves in to arrange the interior ropes:

And then Gary invites me to look around inside. It's a fascinating view! This is like a flying cathedral!

The balloons are ready, so let's fly. In the still air, Gary's balloon cooperated nicely, giving me some unobstructed views.

One of the crew told me that the nearby hospital loves the balloon flying next door to them. Doctors there feel the event each morning acts as therapy for patients.

 

Since I can only see the readout on my tablet from my wide-angle lens up there, I'm cautious about boring in too close. Think of the warnings on those magnifying side mirrors on your car.

 

 

Hope the patients' view is as good as mine!

 

 

That's it for this morning. Look at that slow, gentle ride!

 

 

The weather forecast just pushed the rain back a day. I may get in another morning tomorrow! Stay tuned for more tricks!

 

 

 

 

Day 4 produces more pieces of the hot air ballooning story...

It is worthwhile  to spend several mornings observing the balloonists. Gradually, I'm accumulating material which will come together in a storyline when I have it all.

The wind didn't cooperate this morning, but I did get the rollout of the balloon's bag from the truck.

 

Another piece of the story is the rise of the balloons to full vertical position as the bags fill..

 

 

Unlike Day 3, today's wind pushed Gary's balloon away from me and behind the other balloon.  Nothing to do but chase the balloons as they drifted away.

 

 

Time to make my Inspire's most distant flight! I put on my Red Baron scarf and goggles and hit the throttle.

 

 

Tomorrow morning, I have to remember to get a video of warming up the blowtorches. They are impressive in the dawn light, and even in these videos when fired in the air.

 

 

Having a blast with the friendly crews. They've made my work a lot easier!

Day 3 with the balloons. Finally getting the variables under control......

Five O'Clock comes early, but that's when you get to see the inflation of the bags. Those blowtorches do a terrific job!:

Today was really enjoyable, The Sun rose in a clear sky, I was positioned correctly relative to the balloons--and the balloons rose fairly straight up.

Casey, one of the captain, told me that they release a helium balloon just before liftoff to know where the initial path will track.

Bags filled, the customers climb into the gondola and get ready to fly.

 

When the first balloon has safely cleared, the pilots of the second and third drone get ready for take-off:

 

                                                                  Here they go!

 

 

When the third balloon lifts off,  The crews pack up and drive off to the landing point--wherever that might be.

 

 

 

If the weather holds, I have some ideas for tomorrow Stay tuned...

 

Day 2 with the hot air balloons...

Today was really fun. I met the pilots and crew and they welcomed me. Gary Moore told me that they have 50,000 pictures on their web site, so 'come on in--the water's fine!'

At 5:00 A.M. the trucks roared in and their crews began setting up. These folks are like NASCAR crews. They have every move choreographed to quickly lay out the bags, attach the gondolas, inflate the bags and get aloft while the winds are down. For anyone who doesn't know, we tend to have still mornings in Vegas, but the winds begin in mid-morning and build to a peak in the afternoon.

The empty lot is rapidly laid out, the three crews get their balloons deployed and the clients watch. My Phantom watches from above, but the light is weak. Come on, Sun!

 

Oh rats! One of the pilots greeted me and told me I was welcome to follow his balloon--but the balloon at the southern end took off first.  I took the bird in the hand.

 

 

By following the southern balloon, the Inspire drone got out of position. Next thing I knew I had the drone above on the far side of the second balloon. Oops. Had to up and over, hoping the elephantine bag wouldn't come right up under me.

 

 

Going to take a few mornings to get what I'm after, but I'm learning what NOT to do quickly...

 

Up, up and away! Oh, wait. I used that in my last YouTube video about ballooning two years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpQarQMG7zU

 

 

Some lessons learned. The reflection off the balloon's bag almost blinds the chip in my camera. Also, you see the sky burn out here and there as the ground, balloon and sky are at radically different exposures. Sigh. I have to position differently to compensate.

 

Secondly, I was on the Sun (East) side, but the balloons quickly went South and flew away from me. Tomorrow I'll get more on that side and try to get ahead of the balloons as they lift.

 

The bags are filled with hot air from giant blowtorches, which have to be fired regularly to stay aloft. Here's how the Inspire drone saw it.

 

 

One of the captains said he'd love for me to fly the drone around inside the bag as it was being filled. The Phantom would be perfect for that, so I'll pursue it.

 

Hmmm. Have to avoid getting in front of that blowtorch, though...

 

 

Soaring with the eagles!--er, balloons...

I put up a trial balloon this morning (did he really say that?) at the launch site for Vegas Hot Air Balloons.

There were broken clouds in the East, so I had to make the best of the few moments when the Sun broke through.

 

I carefully stayed back (pilots are very sensitive about drones), but will work in closer in days to come,  as the balloon crews get used to the drone being nearby. They do this many days, so now that I know where it is and when they lit off, I'll work at it

 

Two years ago, I had a spectacular day for the Balloon Festival   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpQarQMG7zU

 

 

 

The most active days will be on weekends. Don't know how many customers they get during the week. Perhaps they attract casino guests every day...

 

 

I got this sequence recorded just before some clouds blocked the Sun. With luck, I'll get some really sunlit sequences in coming days!

 

 

More adventures ahead!