This colorful abstract photograph is from the 16th Annual Red, White, and Blue Balloon Festival in Letchworth State Park, 2017.

The fourth scheduled flight on Sunday morning finally worked out and balloons launched over the Archery Field. However, conditions were not great. Fog was heavy this morning raising from the gorge and significantly lowering visibility. The launch was delayed by about an hour. Then, only a very few balloons actually managed to get over the gorge as most others got taken northwest, away from the Genesee River gorge and the park.

Letchworth State Park is about 35 miles south of Rochester, NY and 60 miles from Buffalo, NY. It is along the Genesee River and follows it for about 17 miles. The park is most known for its three major waterfalls - Lower Falls, Middle Falls, and Upper Falls. However, there are many additional waterfalls on the Genesee River tributaries that are well worth exploring, especially for those who have visited the major and most obvious points of interest.

Genesee River flows from Gold, PA into the Port of Rochester, NY on Lake Ontario. It's one of a few rivers in the United States that flows from south to north. There is an interesting debate over the true headwaters but it seems the consensus is that it is on the Hosley Farm now owned by Slaybaughs. The runner up seems to be John Torok's spring.