Discovering Balls

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Cory

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2013
Messages
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Location
Shamrock Texas
I'm officially underway and will chronicle the adventure to and with luck eventual flight reports from Balls 24 here. Hopefully Balls veterans will chime with some insights for me and other first time travelers to the playa and enjoy the debacles almost sure to occur along the way.
Typing this out from Gallup, NM at the USA RV park along Rt 66 a little over 500 miles from my starting point at home in Shamrock, TX. The total trip is looking to be about 1500 miles from door to playa and so far so good. Stayed up WAYYYY to late cutting grains for a couple L motors and loading up the heavy stuff in the back of truck. Finally hit the road about lunchtime which unknowingly set me up for a fun drive through a hellacious afternoon rainstorm across the pass into Albuquerque right into rush hour traffic.:caffeine:



After getting settled in to what is a pretty nice place with very nice staff (even willing to bargain for cash) and spending some time with both the real and google maps hoping to make it to Whiskey Flats RV Park in Hawthorne, NV tomorrow. Providing I get an early start and the Las Vegas traffic isn't brutal whenever I happen to pass through should make it by sundown over 700 miles closer to Black Rock. :grin:https://www.google.com/maps/dir/''/Whiskey+Flats,+3045+US-95,+Hawthorne,+NV+89415,+United+States/@36.7385258,-113.1614808,6.91z/data=!4m16!4m15!1m5!1m1!1s0x0:0x8898d6d0c321268c!2m2!1d-108.8116559!2d35.5073485!1m5!1m1!1s0x8097fc7fc94410d9:0x6e87f5d2f9f81129!2m2!1d-118.6346075!2d38.5380219!2m2!7e2!8j1442995200

Godspeed to everyone on the road to Balls 24 and look forward to meeting you there.
 
Cory you lucky dog! Balls is on my bucket list. Have a save drive and clear sky's and successful flights!
 
Enjoy your self. I did it last year and yes it was a "Bucket List " Launch for me.
 
What is that big piece of paper with the squiggly lines? Is that some sort of analog GPS?

:wink:
 
:cool: Feeling pretty lucky indeed Bill. :lol: and yes I like to back up my Garmin with an analog alternative - just in case.

Got a good jump on the day and was in Arizona bright and early. Along the way got sidetracked by Meteor Crater. It is definately worth the detour to be awed by what natural forces are capable of creating in nearly an instant.



This is my secong time to cross Arizona using I-40 and Flagstaff is still a standout area along the way. Honestly the drive today was awesome, albeit arduous. I have especially enjoyed the desolate nature of the road since Vegas and the spectacular landscape is more than enough to stay entertained.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/yZNLZG]

Posting this from Hawthorne, NV barely more than 3 hours SSE of Gerlach. Pretty wiped out, ready to hit the hay and prepare for an early start.

(Only noticed after uploading todays batch that the cameras time/date must be incorrect)
 
Made it to the playa and in for the night with the NAK ready for an early flight on an L-808 Way-Slo-Side (Wayside White Variant). Not enough bandwidth for pictures, but a quick recap-
Hawthorne is surrounded by a massive military depot and made for an interesting morning scenery. Followed the instructions exactly as the website prescribed and made it to the eleven mile entrance. Followed a big rig in and thankfully was pointed, then escorted in the right direction by a few helpful workers in an official looking truck - I would have only missed by miles.....I thought the excitement at Emerald Lake was high: not even close to the feeling of -HOLY CRAP I'm surrounded by dry lake bed walled in by mountains- Thinking - not in Texas anymore Toto.
The sunset was magnificent and the drop in was air temperature equally encompassing. Overall another awesome day on a great adventure. For all those whose bucket list includes BALLS - don't wait any longer because this place is AWESOME.
 
Day 1 – Thursday
It is difficult to express fully through text some of experiences and equally so to capture the magnificence in a single frame the grand sights of the Southwest United States. No doubt, my trip by the numbers pales in comparison to more than a few including many who crossed the pond to make the launch. A huge thanks to the great people of AHPRA for a uniquely great and well managed event. It is difficult to imagine what it must take to conduct such a literally widespread event. Definitely leaves a big playa to fill for Tripoli Gerlach.
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The final “Road to Balls” printout from the website was instrumental in leading me to the edge of the expansive lakebed, following the heaviest tracks in the wrong direction for about 30 minutes was an unnerving beginning and the realization of the vastness was certainly not lost upon the moment.

The shimmering launch goers at the site in the distance brought a huge feeling of relief, and in short order camp was ready with rocket preparation set against an almost impossibly diverse sunset and moonrise. I would be interested to know attendance statistics, as the sporadic yet steady convoy seemed endless and the flight line swelled to what seemed to me at least a mile long by launch end. The weather started and remained almost exclusively superb.


I will continue the thread in the days to come, but for any who are interested the full flikr album is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/98606523@N08/albums/72157658565093779

And a few videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeO9htjzaAS0O07oq1t6NrA/videos?view_as=subscriber
 
Lots of beautiful pics on Flikr Cory but you have to be careful about jackknifing the trailer.:facepalm: I had to say it....Thanks for posting.
 
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