Linda and Gary's family came to watch us go on the hot air balloon ride the children had given us for our 32nd Wedding Anniversary.
Starting from the Top it shows we are Up, Up and Away and the bottom pix show the involvement in getting it ready!!!
Gary and Linda were following our driver and they said they had quite a tour of Del Mar and Fairbanks while keeping up with him.
When we did land it was on a vacant lot but the truck could not get to us so they had to get helpers to hand move the balloon back up the hill to where the truck for the balloon was. When Del Mar gets all built up I don't know how they will be able to land anywhere.
It was kind of scary when they got really high off the ground and when we first started you wondered if we would bump into the hills. Del Mar is evidently one of the best balloon areas because of the breezes and vacant land.
They take off at sunrise and just prior to sunset.
I was quite interested in how the couple that took us out got started. He said it was just from taking a ride and becoming hooked and then after buying one with a friend and having to charge a few people to meet their own costs it just evolved into a business.
After they are laid out they begin to blow the hot air into them.
That must be Kelly sleeping through it all with Linda.
It was quite an experience to watch them lay out those huge balloons and then blow hot air into them until they can stand up.
Kristi, Craig and Amy were old enough to watch the whole operation with Gary.
After the ride they took us to a park(in the dark) and had a lovely picnic. All of us in our baskets that day were using Christmas gifts which are a little cheaper. A normal ride is $175 a piece and takes bout 4 hours from start to finish.
It was one of those once in a lifetime experiences. Thanks to our children for something we would never had thought of doing and yet it was so fun!!!