A friend and I drove to Camrose on Saturday, September 24th, to watch the Hot Air Balloon Championship, which was held from Sept. 21-25, 2011. It was a beautiful calm, sunny, blue day and perfect for the balloons. Otherwise they may have been canceled if it had been too windy, as it has been most days this fall. We were just lucky. There were 18 balloons in all, I believe, and it was a "hound and hare" competition where a lead balloon dropped a beanbag and then later the other balloons lifted off and tried to drop their marker closest to the first marker. I don't know who won. We left before they returned as it would have been two hours or more of waiting if indeed they landed close enough to the soccer field in Camrose to come back there that night. I think the trucks were going to transport them and then there was going to be a balloon "light show" that night. It would have been spectacular. The spectators were urged to bring flashlights. In a way I wish we'd stayed but we had to drive back to Edmonton that evening, too.



Here are some of the sights we saw. Note the senior gentleman in the scooter with the Canadian flags on it. He was busy taking pictures with his little camera. Unfortunately, I didn't get his name or it might have made an interesting little story. We watched from a hill. Enjoy the video first, then see some of the scenic sights we saw on our drive there and back! Camrose is a very pretty city.

Church in Camrose on Mirror Lake

Swans on Mirror Lake

Little barn on Highway 13A near Camrose

Wetaskiwin Hospital

A blasted tree on River Valley Road in Edmonton heading out of town

View from River Valley Road onto the hill opposite

Old Schoolhouse in River Valley, Edmonton

Downtown Edmonton, Alberta

Hot air balloons in Camrose, Alberta

Note the senior taking pictures

Hot air balloon taking off from soccer field in Camrose