The best way of travel, however, if you aren't in any hurry at all, if you don't care where you are going, if you don't like to use your legs, if you don't want to be annoyed at all by any choice of directions, is in a balloon. In a balloon, you can decide only when to start, and usually when to stop. The rest is left entirely to nature.
— William Pene du Bois, The Twenty-one Balloons
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| In order to fill the balloon up, they turned on two fans and started to fill it up with air. Once the balloon was big enough, they turned on the fire and it lifted the balloon and basket up off the ground. |
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| Before getting on the balloon! |
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| After our crash landing! |
Our balloon flight was in Park City, Utah on Sept 29, 2012. We were up in the air for 1 hour and 25 minutes. Here is some hot air balloon history- it was first done in France in 1783 by two brothers. Something I didn't know about hot air ballooning, is that they don't have a lot of control about where they go. The only control they have is the altitude, the rest is up to the wind currents. My roommate, Cami, went with me and it was great to share this adventure with one of my good friends. I feel so blessed to be able to do such fun things this year. It makes me excited to see what else is in store!
The winds have welcomed you with softness,The sun has greeted you with it's warm hands,You have flown so high and so well,That God has joined you in laughter,
And set you back gently into The loving arms of Mother Earth.
— Anon, known as 'The Baloonists Prayer,' believed to have
been adapted from an old Irish sailors' prayer.
(This is the poem our balloon pilot said as we toasted our champagne and orange juice, I only participated in the orange juice part.)
I love the balloonist prayer and think your blog is lovely. You are amazing,sister.
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