Happy 39TH Wedding Anniversary - High in the sky!

We decided to take a hot air balloon ride to celebrate our 39TH wedding anniversary so bright and early (6am) we headed to Pagosa Springs to check in with Rocky Mountain Balloon Adventures for our flight. There were 15 adventuresome souls who met in the Fairfield parking lot. Our pilot and chase crew briefed us, then we loaded up in the two vans and drove to the launch site, a church parking lot. Ballooning is not an exact activity. You are truly at the mercy of the winds. Still, with a good pilot, you can fly quite far. The sport has come a long way since it's inception in France over 200 years ago. The two men who first attempted it fashioned their balloon out of paper! The envelope on our aircraft was silk and we had a much better system for getting the super-heated air up into the envelope.
There is an element of danger, it is true, but our pilot had 26 years' experience and he did inspire confidence.
The first group of 8 went up and we were in the chase car as it followed them all around Pagosa. They landed some 20 minutes later in a small field behind some condos. We were instructed to get out of the van and run to the basket as soon as it touched down, lean on the rim of the basket and hold it in place so the first passengers could disembark. One by one they got out and one by one we got in. They took our places leaning on the basket rim and soon the carefully choreographed exit/entrance was completed, the basket was released and we were on our way. This is such a peaceful, gentle way to travel. We were able to talk to people on the ground from a hundred feet up or better yet in a conversational tone - no need to shout. Soon we had our bird's eye view of Pagosa Springs and the countryside around it. We could see Chimney Rock, an archaeological site we had visited last year and the many beautiful mountains in the distance.
Soon it was our turn to return to earth. All hands were called upon to help break down the balloon and pack it away (just as we had done in the beginning in order to set it up and inflate it.). The last part of the event was to return to the resort for a champagne brunch (or sparkling grape juice if you preferred) as our pilot gave us a talk on the history of ballooning. The toast of champagne became a tradition for the first balloonists and continues to this day.
As we left the parking lot we remarked on what a memorable outing this had been! Buddy was quick to tell everyone that he had "...kissed my sweetie 2,000 feet over Pagosa Springs!"
What a memory!
The Road Runners
Buddy & Elaine
1 Thess. 5:18
PTL!