Last Friday, Lee and I experienced a hot air balloon flight for the first time, and it was such a wonderful experience. I'll call it....celebrating our anniversary in style!
This was our third attempt at going up in the balloon. The previous two attempts were cancelled due to bad weather and high winds. The total experience lasted four hours, and it was well worth the dent to our pocketbook!
We first arrived at the Bloomington airport at 5:30 p.m. After initial paperwork, we were driven to our launching site on the east side of the IU campus. The balloon coasted its way to the north side of Ellettsville. We had the joy of being with another couple near our age. A second balloon also went up, and we followed it for most of our journey. We grazed treetops, waved to people below, and enjoyed the beautiful sunset. It was amazing!
After landing in a field (where the owner was not pleased), we loaded back into the van and returned to the balloon hangar at the airport. There we were greeted with champagne, appetizers, and the story of the first hot air balloon ride in history. We were able to see how the balloons are made and the many baskets used for passengers. At 9:30 p.m. we headed home.
It was an experience! Bucket list item complete!
