Our balloon!
Excited for the takeoff :)
Up, up & away we went!
We had a fun group of people with us and our tour guide, Dar, was quite the entertainer. He had to beat the other balloons (naturally) so we ended up at 6,000 feet in the air! I must have looked nervous for a little while because my sweetheart kept asking me if I was alright. I just had to take it all in!
Everything got so small...
Wouldn't you be a little nervous too in nothing but a wicker basket?
Amish Country
We ended up doing a little tree skimming action, got pretty close to some farm animals (who were not so thrilled by our loud mechanism) and failed at figuring out just how fast we were flying on the guys' smart phones (probably 5-7 mph).
So pretty!
Thankful for a gorgeous day...
So, because hot air balloon flying doesn't have the luxury of a landing strip, we were instructed to crouch down, lean into the basket dividers to our left and hold onto the rope handles inside of the balloon when landing. Naturally, there is always a risk involved in something I do. See, the hot balloon will "skid" along the ground a couple of times before stopping. This means that you run the risk of tipping or, in our case, skidding the ground only to catch a gust of wind and therefore using a 5 foot embankment to stop our balloon. I was ready for the hit against our balloon, but not prepared for my sweetheart's head to slam into the back of mine. Ouch. Balloon Flyer's Beware: follow the guide's directions and stay low (this means you, sweetheart). I still love you!
Down she goes...
Our flying mechanism!
Champagne toast to celebrate!
I highly recommend this experience to anyone! It was quite fun and enjoyable...and I thought it made for a nice anniversary gift :-) Afterwards, we hit up the nearby outlets, had lunch & headed back into the city to visit the local brewery. Nothing like a little hometown brewed beer to end a fabulous day! I have no clue why we decided to go home after that...we realized afterward that we probably should have stayed another night since we were having so much fun. Now I can't wait to go back!
All images courtesy of © 2010 Chateau de Victoria
That looks so awesome! I'm glad you guys had a great time. Lovin' the pictures. You have some fabulous postcard/stationary material there.
ReplyDeleteLoved the play-by-play of your adventure! I hope we get to experience it sometime, but for now we are looking forward to flying lessons!
ReplyDeletesoooo jealous! this is number one on my life list :) looks awesome!
ReplyDeletei can't wait to go in September! This makes me 204395x more excited!
ReplyDeleteawwww how fun is this!
ReplyDeleteand what a coincidence we both have Mitchells :)
Emma - Thanks! The mister has an awesome camera...I'm thinking of making one of the pictures into a canvas print :)
ReplyDeleteWhity Wife - Glad you liked the post! Flying lessons sounds awesome...good luck!!
ReplyDeleteHayley - You gotta go girl!! That could be a good present to yourself when you're back in the good ole U.S. of A :)
ReplyDeleteCara - Hey lady! You are going to l-o-v-e it...
ReplyDeleteJulie - I still think it is SO funny we both date Mitchell's...and for 5 years too! Crazy!!
ReplyDeleteman that mustve been awesome! i've always wanted to do an air balloon ride.
ReplyDeletebtw you and the man look fantastic together =)
~Fae
http://www.rosypop.com
Fae - Thanks love :-) I am loving all of your pictures from your recent trip! They are really beautiful...and you & the mister also make quite the good looking couple ;-)
ReplyDeleteWould you like to ride in my beautiful balloon
ReplyDeleteWould you like to ride in my beautiful balloon
We could float among the stars together, you and I
For we can fly we can fly
Up, up and away
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon
The world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon
It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon
We can sing a song and sail along the silver sky
For we can fly we can fly
Up, up and away
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon
Suspended under a twilight canopy
We'll search the clouds for a star to guide us
If by some chance you find yourself loving me
We'll find a cloud to hide us
We'll keep the moon beside us
Love is waiting there in my beautiful balloon
Way up in the air in my beautiful balloon
If you'll hold my hand we'll chase your dream across the sky
For we can fly we can fly
Up, up and away
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon
Balloon...
Up, up, and away.....
That is such a unique experience. And what gorgeous views! It's so neat to see the land down below and the coloration. I can't imagine landing in one of those things either.
ReplyDeleteKelsey - It was awesome, I highly recommend it! Obivously, I have forewarned you about the landing :-)
ReplyDelete<3 this so, so much!! Looks like the two of you had a blast. This adventure is going on my to do list pronto!
ReplyDeletexo
~M
It looks like you had a lot of fun - I always forget about the champagne thing until someone shows a picture or mentions it somewhere...one of these days I should go up on a hot air balloon ride instead of just chasing them while other people go up
ReplyDeleteM - You gotta do it!
ReplyDeleteTyler - Hi and thanks! It was a little intimidating at first but a lot of fun...the champagne helped the after effects of the bumpy landing :)
ReplyDelete