The Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival is an annual tradition in the skies above Yuma County. This year, the multicolored balloons, some bearing the names of event sponsors, are scheduled to go up in mass ascensions at sunrise on Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting, of course.
Local media members and sponsors went up for balloon rides Friday morning. I put aside my fear of heights to go up on the mostly red and yellow-colored Skyscraper balloon with pilot Dwayne Osborne from Phoenix.
“It’s a peaceful way to see the world," Osborne said. "And I’ll be honest, it’s an occasional adrenaline rush.”
The balloons left from Kiwanis Park in Yuma and we flew as high as 1,000 feet over residential neighborhoods and agricultural fields before a bumpy landing in a field south of Somerton.
The Desert Balloon Glow is scheduled to take place on Saturday night at Yuma's Desert Sun Baseball Stadium at 5:30 p.m.
