Our First Hot Air Balloon Ride!

It was tough to set the alarm for 4:45 a.m.! It was even tougher to get out of bed when that alarm went off!  But that's what it takes to get dressed and drive to the college soccer field on the other side of Riverton, Wyoming, in time to volunteer with a hot air balloon crew. We filled out some paper work, and listened to the announcements at the pilot meeting. The weatherman described the wind currents and speed, and the balloon-meister sent up the black pilot balloons to illustrate the wind currents right above the field. The sun was rising over the horizon when we found Bob and Kris in their burgundy hoodies. They are our designated pilot and crew chief that we met last night.

They've been flying balloons for years, so they were experienced in giving jobs to inexperienced crew members. The first order of business was putting together the pieces of the basket. Then we unloaded the balloon envelope in a straight line over the soccer field grass. We had another family helping this morning, and they were removing the binder ties.

It was 50 degrees that morning, so we were glad to have our jackets and gloves.

The balloons around us were starting to come to life.

People like Bob and Kris love to go to balloon festivals and fly their balloons. But they also have incentive to be here. Individuals and businesses sponsor each balloon, so there are cash incentives for pilots to come and participate. In exchange, the sponsors get two free balloon rides.

While Denisa was taking pictures, Kris was giving Mark some more instructions on the next stage of crewing.

We were ready to start the fan that inflates the envelope, and Mark was helping to hold it open.

As it began to expand in size, Kris and Denisa were going under the envelope to bring the next sections out so they would inflate.

It was busy, but Denisa still had time to take a few fast pictures as balloons were lifting off.

After the top was velcro-ed into place, Denisa got to hold the balloon open. Their balloon's name is Zip-a-dee-doo-dah. But they call it "Zippy" for short. Zippy was taking shape!

Bob went inside the balloon to help spread out the base and make sure that everything was inflating properly. We learned that balloons must be inspected and certified each year, and patched by the inspector if necessary.

When the balloon got so big that the fan could no longer inflate it, it was time to start the heat. Bob handed two of us some of the cords with instructions to keep them out of the fire, as he turned on the burner. It was time for this envelope to become a hot air balloon.

As the balloon stood up, we tilted the basket as well. Zippy was standing straight up.

We looked across the soccer field to see that many of the other balloons were standing up as well. That's when we found out that the sponsors still hadn't shown up this morning for their balloon ride.

So Bob and Kris offered us the opportunity to take our first hot air balloon ride. We hopped into the basket as the referee confirmed that we were ready for lift-off and Bob signed off on our flight plan.

And we were off! It was just a little unnerving at how quickly we started rising straight up into the air. The balloon next to us was cleared for take-off at the same time, so we saw them up close. It looked like we were going to crash together, but Bob explained that we would move away to avoid kissing that balloon. In hot air balloon language, you use words like "kiss" instead of "hit" or "crash."

Denisa was snapping pictures of the soccer field as Bob turned on the burner and heated up the air inside the balloon to make us go higher and higher.

Zippy was going higher than the balloon that left at the same time. While pilots have little control over going left and right, their main control was adding heat that will make the balloon rise.

The balloons still waiting to launch were getting smaller as we were going higher.

We left the ground at 6:36, and this picture was taken just three minutes later. We were already high over Riverton, heading east towards the rising sun.

Bob, our pilot, was at ease in the sky. He has piloted over 400 hot air balloon trips and we could tell that he was very good at it.

Being at a rally at a new location, he had to learn about the prevailing winds. We had mountains and rivers in this area that would affect the air movement.

When they first arrived, Bob and Kris drove around the area looking for good and bad areas for potential landing spots. We surveyed the alfalfa fields far below us. Some of the fields were cut and in windrows, while others had already been bailed. We would try to stay away from fields, because we didn't want to destroy crops or get tangled in areas that were fenced so the crew vehicle couldn't get to us.

What a great day this was! We were blessed with experiencing a new way to wander God's wonders!

Mark was obviously happy about being in that hot air balloon basket high above the ground!

Bob turned up the throttle and the fire burned into the envelope. We immediately climbed higher.

It was a little hazy in the early morning sunlight. While we hadn't been affected by the smoke from the fires in Canada so far this summer, it looked like some of that smoke had finally drifted into Wyoming. Several of the balloons were from Canada, and the other pilots were blaming them for bringing the smoke with them.

It was hard to wipe that silly grin off Denisa's face this morning!

Bob explained that he was looking for a good place to land. School ball fields are usually open and good spots. He must think about if it was big enough to lay the balloon down, if it was dry, if it was unfenced so the chase crew can get a vehicle in, and all three of us were looking for overhead power lines.

By not adding heat to the balloon, it would sink closer to the ground. He gave us a close-up view of the tree tops . . .

so Mark could pick a leaf bouquet as we drifted by.

Bob spotted his landing target--the empty paved parking lot next to the tennis courts. We confirmed that there were no electrical wires, and the area was open for the chase vehicle. He reminded us of our landing instructions that we got soon after lift-off. We were supposed to keep our knees slightly bent, hang onto one of the basket rails with both hands, and be prepared for a bit of a rough landing and a possible skid after we touched down.

It was a remarkably smooth landing! We were back on the ground, and Kris arrived with the rest of the crew. We moved the basket over just a little by adding a little heat to the balloon to lift it slightly off the ground so that Mark and Kris could walk it to the edge of the parking lot.

Then Mark grabbed the rope attached to the top of the balloon, and hung on as Zippy slowly came down on his side.

With the balloon on the ground, we began the process of milking the air out of the envelope.

We were too busy to take pictures of that process, as the next photo shows the envelope once again tied with binders every three feet or so. All of the envelope had to be crammed inside the wire basket that we were rolling towards the end. It would take Mark standing on top to get it all stuffed into the basket and reloaded into the pickup.

We rode back to the soccer field with the chasers, still not able to wipe the smiles off our faces. What a fun morning we had high in the air over Riverton! When we got back to the soccer field, the Riverton city balloon was still inflated and hard at work.

A large crowd was still in line for a tethered hot air balloon ride. After filling out the liability paperwork and paying $20 per person, they got in line for the ride.

The balloon was tied to the four vehicles on the field, and the riders were lifted as tall as the ropes would allow. We learned that a team of pilots and crew took this Riverton balloon to festivals during the summer to advertise their city, and to invite other pilots to come to this balloon rendezvous.

We were in the air for almost an hour, and it felt more like ten minutes. It was a blessing to have this opportunity for a free hot air balloon ride, and we will remember it forever. We were even presented with a pin that proclaims "First Balloon Ride." Thanks to Bob and Kris for making it possible for us to wander God's wonders in a new way!