It's a virtual graveyard

So most kids, when they have a birthday party, get a Mylar balloon of some kind. people also get these shiny concoctions at weddings (although a weeee bit tacky at a wedding), anniversaries, graduations and even the occasional bachelor party.

The balloon usually festively decorates the room during the event and then is kept around for the memory of a happy occasion. Over the next few days it will slowly deflate and eventually people will decide it is a poor reflection on the good time that was had and perhaps it should be popped and thrown out.

However, sometimes the balloons don't make into the trash. Sometimes the knot isn't tied tight enough, or the little kid didn't quite hold on and the balloon escapes into the ether. If you're like me you probably watch it until it is a speck in the sky and then maybe wonder about where it will land. I can tell you.

They ALL land at Soquel State Forest. Seriously. I don't know if it is the wind currents or something but they are EVERYWHERE. We see them on the hillsides, they are buried in the dirt, they are hanging from the trees, they're in the middle of the trail. EVERYWHERE.

Just today I saw seven (7!) shiny balloons in a four hour span!
It's a friggin' graveyard people.