thought i would share some pics from last wednesday.

getting started:
gettingstarted.jpg

a little assistance getting in: (she was scared to death).
getinkay.jpg

we're off:
wereoff.jpg

up up and away:
upupandaway.jpg

 

balloon.jpg

some scenic pics:
dam.jpg

muirfield gc:
thecourse.jpg

waaay up high:
uphigh.jpg

 

my wife finally getting comfortable:
kay.jpg

a heli passing by:
heli.jpg

looking up:
lookingup.jpg

the chase vehicle:
chasevehicle.jpg

 

the approach:
landing.jpg

touch down:
touchdown.jpg

photo op:
thekids.jpg

deflating:
deflating.jpg

this was my second hot air balloon ride... but i was only 13 years old last time.

a great experience! best of all... my wife said, she would do it again!

 

Did that a few years ago...what a blast!!! Looks like you had a little better landing than we did, but I would do it again in a second.

 

No Canadian guys with trailers floating around up there, we hope...

 

Looks like a wonderful experience Andrew... You and your wife look lovely together...

Cheers!

 

Looks like a wonderful time, and you seem to have been blessed with great weather for it. Just curious, did they tell you how high you actually did go? And do you play that golf course on a weekly basis?

 

Looks like the Columbus Zoo in that one picture?

 

We had one land in our yard one time, my daughter was just a baby so it must have been nearly 19 years ago.
Looks like you had a great time.
Sure beats dodging traffic.

 

we were up about 2,000 plus feet.

as for the golf course... muirfield gc... it real expensive to become a member...
yep... the columbus zoo indeed... we took off from the morgan house in dublin.

it's amazing how many dogs are barking at you while in the sky.

 

Looked like a great experience.
I once was on my motorcycle and trying to follow a hot air balloon in flight by turning on many different roads and trying to stay with it. It was flying relatively low and the people in the balloon were shouting down to me trying to tell me when I turned on a road that either would end or curve the wrong way. It was quite amusing to stay with them as I continued to make turns on roads I was unfamiliar with. In the end I did arrive slightly ahead of them as they landed on a golf course. We talked a while and shared a few laughs.They said that by me trying to stay with them it made there balloon ride that much more fun. My wife and I still have this on our to do list.

My airborne experience was a 14,000 foot jump skydiving out of an airplane. I have done it 5 times and I am hooked.

 

Andrew,
My sons best friend is a licensed balloon pilot (he is 19). His father fly's commercially, and my son has been on the chase crew many many times, just for the fun of it. He offers a pretty cool champagne breakfast flight, among others. If you ever plan on being in the Pittsburgh area, shoot me an email and i will set you up with them. They have a beautiful balloon and are super nice people. he is VERY experienced.
For my sons senior prom, they were going to pilot the balloon to the hotel where the prom was being held, but the hotel would not give them permission to land, so they did some tethered rides.photo ops in their back yard before the prom.
Oh, BTW, your wife does NOT look like she is getting comfortable in that pic...

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andrew - you're a better man than I. I could not get into one of those - yikes!
Looks like a nice time though.

 

My wife doesn't like to fly in a Jet. She would D-I-V-O-R-C-E me before going up in a hot air balloon. But, she would say "Have a good time". LOL.

 

i would have put money on the fact my wife was NOT going up in that hot air balloon... she was scared to death sitting in the car with the balloon being prepared for flight in the background. she wanted my friend, bob (taking pictures on the ground) to go up with me and she would take pics... (not happening) this was a gift from me to her... she seemed excited at one time.

i asked her to sign the waiver... she said, you sign it. after a moment or two she signed her signature on the dotted line.

we walked to the balloon... i asked her to place her foot in the open and climb in... i assisted and off we went... i was floored... and very proud she had the trust in me (while being so nervous) and my past balloon experience.


a bit of persuasion:
getinkay.jpg

bob: (the photographer & high school buddy) ... taking a picture of himself.
IMG_6027.jpg

 

Andrew, this looks like a great time, but after looking at the pictures, I'm still trying to swallow my ***** down.