The Monday after the Balloon Fiesta, Les, Joanne, Art, and I went for an actual hot air balloon ride! Joanne was a little nervous, but agreed to go. It turned out to be a wonderful experience that we all enjoyed. Art and I were glad the Johnstons were able to share it with us!
We arrived at the balloon field about 7:15a and were involved, either helping or watching, from the time the balloon was unfolded until it was returned to it's bag. It was fascinating observing the whole process! Our pilot was a balloonist instructor, so that instilled a little more confidence in us! There were 6 of us in the balloon plus the pilot. Very cozy. We were afraid the day might be too windy to go, but in fact, it was almost too calm.
The ride itself was spectacular! We started out low, skimming over 60 foot cottonwood trees and the Rio Grande River, and at one point were 2500 ft in the air. You could see forever, including the whole area of Albuquerque, ancient volcanoes, and several mountain ranges in the distance. It was very quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. We were in the air about 1 hour.
Because of the calm wind, the pilot was unable to land where he usually did, so we ended up in the cul-de-sac of a neighborhood! He landed with one bounce. Whew!! The neighbors that were home came out and took pictures. A very exciting end to our ride! Afterward, we celebrated our adventure with a champagne brunch and we each received a pin and a certificate commemorating our voyage!
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