Just in case anyone felt even a little short of thrills, we all took a hot air balloon ride one fine morning. Apparently our group was developing because, at the beginning only a few were doing the ride and by the time the event happened everyone jumped in.
We managed to leave Intrepid at 5:00AM – very dark – and were driven several miles to the balloon launch area. There were actually three groups there but we were just the right size to fit into a single balloon basket. So, we met Captain Mike, a British pilot with a sense of humor and watched as our balloon was raised and then we got in. All three balloons went the same course – they had no choice – and we were treated to an hour’s ride at very altitude. We also had a fabulous sunrise to watch from up there. We landed in a 15 mph wind that made us skim along the grasses until we finally reached a point where Mike said “We are going to tip now.” We did and we all crawled out just as we were supposed to.
Getting to the balloon site involved a very long drive, which was fine, but it also involved a river crossing as you can see here. Going there was all in the dark, but the return drive/crossing was in daylight.
