Antelope Island Balloon and Kite Festival

Being fans of both kites and hot air balloons, Joani and I have thought an event that combined the two would work well. At balloon festivals they fly early in the morning when the wind is calm, but after that there is usually not much happening for the rest of the day. Kites like the wind and seem an ideal activity to fill that time. That is why we were excited to learn that just such an event was planned for Labor Day Weekend 2009 at Antelope Island State Park Near Salt Lake City Utah. Antelope Island is on the east side of the lake and is connected to the mainland by a 7-mile causeway.

We parked our RV in the public campground on the island. There are no water, electricity or sewer hookups but the rest of the facilities are very nice and it has a beautiful view.

The lake level is very low now, about 6 feet below average and 17 feet below where it was 20 years ago. It is fed by several rivers and streams but has no outlet. The only water loss is to evaporation, which has been greater than the inflow in recent years. Scientists expect the level to eventually recover, following its historic 20-year cycle.

A little-known fact: A Union Pacific Railroad causeway divides the lake into two parts. The water-surface elevation of the south part of the lake is usually 1/2 to 2 feet higher than that of the north part because most of the inflow to the lake is to the south part.

The island's first non-native inhabitant was a rancher named Fielding Garr who established a ranch there in 1848 to raise buffalo. The descendants of that herd still roam the island. We woke one morning to find one of them having breakfast right outside our RV.

The balloon part of the event attracted six to eight teams. Unfortunately wind conditions put a squeeze on flight activity for the balloons and kites alike.

The balloons were able to manage only one early-morning launch and were not able to go far before having to land near the campground to avoid going out over the lake.

Our Costa Mesa kite club, The Goat Hill Gang, was represented by Joani and I along with Rod Milburn and his wife Marti. This is our "kite camp" on the first morning of the event. The large Tri-D kite and the banners on the left are Rod's. The blue Cross Deck kite and the banners on the right are mine.

The "kite people" were organized by Kevin Bayless, a local kite builder known for his unique patchwork applique. This large foil is one of is creations.

Sorry that I do not have more kite and balloon photos to show you but wind conditions were so bad that very little flying was done. The wind was the most erratic I have ever encountered, shifting direction and speed seemingly every few minutes. At about 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon a squall swept through the area that scattered kites, banners and everything else in its path. About ten of our banners were stripped completely off their poles and sent flying loose, and our portable shelter nearly got away from us. Fortunately we had no kites up at the time and no damage was done.

Overall it was an interesting experience. The organizers and park staff did a great job. We hope to see the Antelope Island Balloon and Kite Stampede grow and be successful in the years to come.

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