She was born in Brazil on June 25, 2012 and already weighs 440 pounds, with 20-foot long floppy ears and a winding 49-foot long trunk. Meet Pea-Nut, the high flying elephant who is one of the eight "special shape" hot air balloons at the New Jersey Festival of Ballooning.
The mass inflation begins promptly at 6:30 pm. We are here for one of the twice-daily mass ascensions, which are scheduled when the wind is typically the calmest, either just after sunrise or just before sunset. The 125 hot air balloons slowly raise off the grass fields near the runway at Solberg Airport in Readington, usually home to quaint one-person propeller jets. Now, the planes are parked to the side to make room for the three-day festival, packed with food vendors, beer, carnival rides and 80 acres of picnic space.
We spot Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey Kim Guadagno with her family, who are also getting ready to take flight. Since Governor Christie is out of state this weekend, she is enjoying the festival in his honor. As we patiently wait for Pea-Nut’s four legs and trunk to inflate, the normal shape balloons are already lifting off around us.
Pea-Nut’s basket is barely big enough for the three of us, including pilot Scott Saxton. This is his third time flying Pea-Nut, and explains that the special balloons have the shortest travel time because they are prone to spinning and are more difficult to operate long distances. After a safety briefing, he indicates a field a few acres away where the other shapes have already started to touch down. The lighthouse and American flag shaped balloons will be landing right behind us.
Suddenly it’s time to climb in, and Scott’s crew helps turn the basket so that Pea-Nut can face the crowd. Pushing thoughts of crashing to my death – or worse, dropping my camera – to the back of my mind, we abruptly leave the ground and the crowd explodes with applause. Waving like celebrities, we rise above the festival grounds with unexpected speed, enjoying a rare bird’s eye view. A production crew is preparing the main stage for Blues Traveler, and scented smoke wafts from a vat of frying funnel cake.
It seems like the ride is over almost immediately, as we rapidly approach the field Scott indicated earlier.
"Unlock your knees! Brace for landing!" Scott instructs. Squatting like a frog, I grab the sides of the basket and scream though we aren’t even going that fast. The basket bounces on the ground and tips on an angle, dragging us on a tilt until we finally come to a sideways stop with help from a nearby crew. Getting out of the basket is a little more difficult than getting in, and we crawl out into high grass filled with chirping crickets.
After helping arrange all of Pea-Nut’s legs so the crew can start rolling and packing her up, we set out in search of a beer and BBQ pulled pork slider just before Blues Traveler hits the stage.
Special thanks to Scott Saxton and Endless Mountains Hot Air Balloons Inc. for bringing us safely back to earth, and like Pea-Nut on Facebook to see where she goes next!