Its Only Temporary!
On Sunday I decided to check out the Great Park Balloon so I could “watch the Great Park’s development unfold as construction activity increases”. It was a harrowing adventure at the least, navigating abandoned buildings and roads. Finally I found a tiny sign that led to the balloon near the freeway underpass. All of a sudden, the decrepit base transformed into a cute litte passageway leading me to the balloon. When I got into the parking lot I was surprised to see dozens of trees still in their wooden containers. This convenient sign offered an explanation:
I hope that the Great Park board still has enough money to buy more trees; because apparently the parking lot will be treeless once the park is done, since the trees are only temporary.
Temporary was definitely the word of the day, everything was set up like a traveling circus, ready to be packed up the next week. Even the bathrooms were portable and the information building behind it was canvas.
As I was about to present my ticket for a complimentary balloon ride courtesy of Mayor Krom (I got it a few years ago) even though the balloon is free anyways, when I was confronted by a sign proclaiming that the balloon was full for the day.
The Balloon is supposed to be on a first-come-first-serve basis, but the kind lady at the counter informed me that all the spots were taken for the day. The place was dead except for a handful of people, so I guess everyone was hiding from me. There was nothing I could do but go home unsatisfied. Luckily there was a sweet drag race competition happening on the runway that I did check out.
