Up, Up, and Away; Finally!!

By popular demand here are the pictures from our hot air balloon ride. We had the picture evening with some sun and just enough wind to carry us around. I have to admit that I was a little pissed when they showed up and there were 2 other couples waiting to go as well. I was expecting it to just be us and the pilot but after the flight was over I realized that with just the two of us we wouldn't have had enough weight in the balloon and it would have made things a little more difficult. The basket really wasn't that big which made for a nice cozy ride. It was a great time and I would recommend that everyone do it at least once. It was a lot smoother than I had anticipated and it is a great way to take in the scenery.

We took off from a park in the middle of town and you should have seen all the kids and people watching. I am sure to a little kid that would probably be one of the coolest things to see, heck it probably was for the adults as well. One of the other guys and myself got to help set the balloon up which is quite a process. The balloon itself is probably 50 to 60 feet long when all stretched out and they use two huge fans to blow it up. Me and another guy had to hold the edges of the balloon up so the wind could blow into the balloon and inflate it. It wasn't too bad at first but as more and more air got in the balloon and it started to rise we really had to put some muscle and weight into it to keep it from whipping around. There were a couple of times that I didn't think I would be able to hold it. Once the balloon was inflated we held the balloon down while the other four hopped in and then it was our turn. As soon as I got in they unclip the balloon from the trailer and we were off.

The ride lasted about an hour and a half and we went a little under 10 miles. It was a lot smoother than I had anticipated and really was a great time. It is amazing to see the various towns and countryside from that angle. It is kind of funny because you really don't steer the balloon but instead just ride with the wind current. You can go up and down at will but had no control over the direction. Then you just try to find an open field and land where ever you can. We actually landed in some guys back yard which he didn't mind at all. I would say that there were probably 30 people around the balloon within 3 minutes of us landing just wanting to check it out. It is funny to watch all the people on the ground watching the balloon fly over. Cars would stop on the road and just watch. We had people all over waving and taking pictures as we passed. I would definitely recommend that you at least try it once. It was really a great way to spend an evening.


Here is the very beginning of the balloon starting to blow up.


At this point it still wasn't too bad. You can see the big fans that blew the air inside to inflate the balloon.


This is when things started to get a little tougher. As the balloon inflated and started to lift into the breeze it was all we could do to hold on. The actually had the balloon tied to the suburban and trailer to help keep it down while we got in.


This is from inside the basket looking up into the balloon. I guess you can design your balloon however you want it. They send you a sketch of the balloon, you color it how you want it, and then create it to your style. The guy was saying these balloons cost about $45,000 a piece and only last about 3 years on average.


Look at that mug. Almost takes up the whole picture.


Just one word, BEAUTIFUL!!


Awe, look at that cute couple.


The shadow of the balloon.


This is the park that we took off from. All the kids were so excited and everyone was waving. This is probably the highest that we got as we climbed to about 1200 feet right away. The rest of the time we probably stayed between 600 - 700 feet.


There were some amazing views from up above.


There were a couple other balloons up with us down south. This was the first time that our pilot had seen another balloon up at the same time. This is about as close as we got to them.


This is the chase car following us to pick us up once landed. It was amazing because no more than 2 minutes after we landed they were right there to pick us up. We traveled about 9.6 miles in the balloon and they traveled about 15 following us. They did a really good job at keeping up.


This is the field that Jennie played on during an All-Star game in high school. Kind of cool to see that and good memory for her to remember. I am sure that she dominated, or that is at least what she will tell you.


Here is a big buck just hiding from all the commotion. Every other animal we came across took off running but this guy just stayed in his spot and tried to hide.


The balloons reflection in the river below. Kind of a cool picture.


Here is a hawk that was flying below us.


Here is the first place that we were going to try and land but we spotted these two huge bulls and decided to go elsewhere. They won't land the balloon anywhere near animals as the sound tends to scare them off.


Back safely on the ground. The land was a little bumpy but surprising not too bad. There are a couple of jumps and skips and then you are down. The very end was pretty neat as they just pull the middle of the balloon in and the whole thing just collapses. It only took a minute or so and it was done.


Happy to have landed safely. It was amazing at how quickly they got everything put away. I bet everything was wrapped and loaded in under 5 minutes. I guess it also helps to have 6 passengers helping.


This is how they but the balloon away. Stuff it in a huge bag and have everyone sit on it to get all the air out. I think it is just an excuse to sit down on the job.

So the ride was a blast and definitely worth the wait. It would have been much better had my plan gone accordingly but we will take it. If you ever get the chance take a ride and enjoy the view. Next we are going to have to bungee jump or maybe even sky dive. I think I may be able to talk Jennie into it. Always wanted to try it. Should be a lot of fun.