SOARING OVER THE MOUNTAINS
There’s nothing quite like the sight of colorful hot air balloons rising into the sky on a crisp clear North Georgia mountain morning. That’s exactly what you can experience at the 38th Annual Helen to Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race. This 3-day event starts at 7:00AM, Thursday, June 2, 2011, when race competitors and local flyers will take to the sky. Leaving the Alpine Village of Helen behind, the balloonists will travel over the mountains, heading for the Atlantic Ocean. The winner is the first person to cross I-95, anywhere between Maine and Miami. The shortest distance is 225 miles and can be done in two days. But, according to the weather, the race has taken as many as four days to complete. Six to ten balloonists are expected to compete this year.
The Helen to Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race is the South’s oldest balloon event and America’s only long distance hot air balloon race. While the race goes on, about 25 other balloonists will take part in local competitions beginning Thursday evening at 6:00PM. Local flying events will also take place on Friday and Saturday in the mornings at 7:30AM and in the evenings at 6:00PM, weather permitting. Many opportunities will be available for the public to assist with inflations, be a part of the chase crew or take a tethered ride in a balloon. Tethered rides go up about 50-75 feet and last about 10 minutes. If you’d like a romantic champagne flight over the mountains, many balloonists will be for hire.
There’s a lot to see and do in Helen when the balloons aren’t flying. Main Street is lined with tourist shops and restaurants. You could tube down the Chattahoochee River or play miniature golf. The Buzz in the Blue Ridge Chainsaw Extravaganza participants will be creating and exhibiting their handicrafts Friday through Sunday. You could tour the Habersham Winery or drive over to Unicoi State Park to picnic, swim or hike up Anna Ruby Falls.
But the highlight of this first weekend in June is the stunning display of those magnificent hot air balloons, soaring through the blue sky with the North Georgia Mountains as a backdrop. Don’t forget your camera!