Las Vegas skies are perpetually busy, from passenger jets roaring out of McCarran to helicopters coursing over The Strip. There’s even been smoke-trailing barnstormers over Nellis the past few mornings. But hot air balloons landing in Westside neighborhoods? Now that’s something you just don’t see every day. This isn’t Albuquerque …
So when I saw a balloon swiftly descending over the intersection of Sahara and Durango early Thursday morning, I had to see where things ended. By the time I rounded a few suburban blocks, I spotted the balloon — passengers, crew and chase team — ambling about a rugged deserted lot in a quiet neighborhood, with the deflated aerial fabric draped over a backyard fence.
Planned landing spot? I doubt it.
Maybe they were hoping for a golf course.
