For the second year in a row I was fortunate to be invited to the Bluff Balloon Festival in Bluff, Utah. This festival is always a spectacular sight with colorful hot air balloons flying amongst the desert red rock of south eastern Utah. Last year I photographed the event and you can see the results in a slide show here.nnThis year, on the last day of the festival, the balloons headed out to the Valley of the Gods. This was the first time in two years the balloons have been able to fly here. This remote valley is one of my favorite places on earth. I have hiked, camped, and photographed for clients here many times. But it is a first for me to photograph and fly here in a hot air balloon.nnFrom a photographers point of view this event can not be beat. The Valley of the Gods is a landscape of exciting colorful red sandstone rock sculpted into towers that reach to the gods above. mix in vibrantly colored hot air balloons that like to fly in the first hours of the day; perfect light.  How can you go wrong?nnHere is a slide show of images from this unique event.n

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