Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Trail Closure Ahead and a Soft Landing

Bridge Closure:
The Shillcutt Bayou Bridge, aka" The Wooden Bridge", at Burns Park will be closed this Friday to allow for the installation of the new bridge structure.
There are no convenient detours on this stretch of trail. Through riders will likely need to travel the south side of the river.
 
Soft Landing
 
As I headed out west on Memorial Day, I noticed a hot air balloon floating over the Arkansas River in the area of Burns Park. I was a little surprised to find it at eye level as I passed the Burns Park golf course.
 
The pilot is to be commended for a nifty landing in this small open space. He dropped the balloon at the water's edge and quickly enlisted the help of some folks on the ground.


The impromptu ground crew got a quick lesson in bringing down the envelope. The pilot got on the phone to his chase vehicle and they were soon on their way to retrieve the balloon and its passengers.

The balloon had launched from west Little Rock and made the trip in about an hour and a half. You just never know what you will see along the Arkansas River Trail!

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