Back in 2006 I won a Dick Blick prize to ride in a hot-air balloon during the Great American Balloon Race weekend, that seems since to be a on-again, off-again affair. I havn't kept up the past couple of years but I know one year it was called off due to inclemnt weather.
Anyway, several Blick employees were given the opportunity to ride in a balloon since Blick was one of the major sponsors. I found my balloon crew and they turned out o be a great family from around St. Louis. It is a somewhat labor-intensive hobby and, I suspect, awfully expensive.
The gondola and nylon balloon has to be taken from the back of the truck and placed on the ground horizontally in order to rig up the helium tanks.
Several local volunteers assisted in the project, that would be repeated several times this weekend.
Just about ready to start the process.
Other balloons have a head start.
It was loud and hot as the swooshing began. It was kind of neat becasue with all of the other balloons getting their helium all around you could hear the insessant sound of the swoosh.
Neighboring balloons about to take off.
People have to stand next to the opening to make sure the yaw of the balloon keeps taking the helium. (see that? Yaw, like I know what I'm talking about)
A shot from the top opening of the balloon that allows for burn off that regulates the lift.
Getting it going for lift-off.
It takes a while to get this baby full of helium but once it starts but after it begins to become vertical, it goes fast. I was told to get ready to jump into the gondola.
Others have started and are on their way.
Whoa, here we go!
An absolutely amazing sight. A dozen or so other balloons trailing the winds. All silent, all quiet, except for the occasional whoosh of accelerant.
Beneath me, Lake Story. And all I'm in is a small wicker basket.
Positively spectacular. I consider this adventure a truly unique, once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity. Many people would be too scared to go, and I was plenty nervous myself, but sometimes you just have to swallow hard and dive in.
These seemingly innocuous ropes determine decent. They are attached to the small opening up top that releases gas, thus lowering the gondola.
There is no sound that high. Just the breezes that pass through the balloon and basket surface.
Everyone must experience the flight of a hot-air balloon. Put it on your "Bucket" or "Fucket" list.
So high now that you can see the almost imperceptible curvature of the earth.
A sight and experience that is incomparable to anything else in life.
Meanwhile, as I'm basking in the glow of this amazing trip, the captain of this balloon is pulling ropes, filling the balloon with gas and actually, in as much as is possible, steering the dang thing.
We have left Galesburg and heading to Henderson. That's 150 down there for you road number guys.
Directly over a farm house.
A surreal sight. It's no dream, I'm there!
Beautiful and noiseless, it was quite relaxing and enjoyable until i started to get the landing protocol from my captain. He instructed me to hang on and stay in the gondola no matter what. He said it could be rough but to just hang on.
A bucolic scene from hundreds of feet up in the air.
OK, here we have begun our decent and will be arriving at our destination soon.
For the residents of this sleepy small town, they are about to be invaded by balloons.
Looking for a suitable landing spot. And yes, the etiquette is to yell down to the owners if you can land in their yards or fields.
Already a touchdown for someone.
The landing was quite smooth and the chase car had kept up and started their balloon maintenance routine. I, however, have a ceremony to go through. Because this was my first ride, I was toasted and doused with champagne.
Cheers for an adventure and experience of a lifetime. I can die now, there isn't much left that would have that kind of impact on me, and I'm not skydiving, spelunking or climbing Everest.
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