Hot Air Balloon Ride

On Monday night I went on a hot air balloon ride. This was not MY idea. My sister had it on her bucket list. I think an opportunity to help someone accomplish a bucket list item is a spiritual gift. So I put aside my fear of heights (or is it really a fear of shaky ladders?) We lifted off from Lakeland, Minnesota. During the process of filling the balloon with hot air, three holes were burned in the balloon. Our pilot said the bottom of the balloon is purely ornamental so these holes, while not attractive, were not a safety risk. Thinking back now, I think it'd odd I wasn't more nervous. Eleven passengers and one pilot fit into the basket. The basket was wicker with steel cable reinforcements and a leather bottom. We had 5 compartments. We had three people in our compartment. With a solid floor and walls up to my shoulders, I didn't feel at all nervous as we lifted up. It was just like in the "Wizard of Oz." I saw my car parked down there with the others and I waved to the people watching. We drifted west. Balloons have no steering wheels. We can go up and down and twist a little but we cannot steer. Our trip lasted 90 minutes and we landed at the Lake Elmo airport. We went over our pilot's house. He had a nice house with a swimming pool and kids in the yard. We could hear, "Hi Dad!" He yelled back, "Get in the house and do your chores!" We drifted low over a soccer field. We could see the game wasn't on yet so we went extra low and totally distracted the athletes. We were so low we could talk back and forth with the kids. As we flew over Highway 94 we could see the bridge over the St. Croix into Wisconsin. At this point we were really high. One gauge read 2,300 and I think that meant feet of altitude. When we went up the pilot would open the propane valve for a sudden burst of flame that was so loud you couldn't hear the person talking right next to you. The trees look so luscious from above. The fields of alfalfa look like a thick green velvet. Corn fields looked like giant pieces of knitted green yarn - purled. We saw buffalo grazing in one field and cows in others. I saw a few birds - tree swallows, killdeer, crows, and one pair of raptors - hawks I was guessing. I'm not used to identifying birds from above. I enjoyed watching our balloon shadow cross the landscape. All too soon we were coming in for a landing at the airport. The pilot's older children composed his flight crew. He talked to them on the phone giving them directions on where to meet us. We all watched as they turned their van and trailer around when they went the wrong way. They jack knifed the trailer. I cannot imagine what it must be like to have your Dad watch you jack knife a trailer from above. I'm so glad that wasn't me. Another passenger asked what to expect during the landing. We were told to grab the ropes and bend our knees. We touched down, paused, and then dragged across the tarmac for 5 or 6 feet before coming to a rest. He had some nimble passengers get out and hang onto the basket. One guy got out to do that and his girlfriend said, "Okay, hang onto the side and look really scared while I take your picture." He did look scared. I saw the photo. It looked like he was falling from the basket. As the pilot jumped out to unhook something, he said, "I'll be right back but in case you need to know, more gas is up and less gas is down." He was quite the kidder, our pilot. Traditionally the passengers enjoy champagne at the end of each flight. This custom started in France when angry farmers destroyed balloons because of the crop damage caused by landing. The farmers were treated with champagne to protect the balloons. We each got a keepsake flute to take home. I had a blast on the balloon ride. I want to do it again.