Up, up and away in our beautiful balloon

Alvie helping out

We were picked up at 6:15 am by a Suburban SUV with the balloon and basket in tow.  Since we didn't have an alarm clock, we asked for a wake up call for 5:15 am from Mur and Ruthie in Stratford!  We drove to the launch site, and Al assisted with the inflation.  This didn't take more than 20 minutes to complete.

Up



Up, up




and away



Our shadow on the mountain

 Once inflated, the six passengers plus pilot got into the basket and swiftly and smoothly rose up into the sky.  Easiest, most peaceful take-off ever.   

We had breathtaking views of the red rocks, the mountains, the countryside and the town of Sedona.  Our pilot took us sky high and then we descended down to the tops of the trees in the National Forest. 

In Arizona, anyone can camp for free in any part of the National Forest.  We saw a few boondockers.  Funny thing.  We landed right in the middle of one man's campsite!  He wasn't expecting us, but he did see us coming

. 

At the landing site, the balloon company poured the champagne and passed out a tasty breakfast.  Yum.

What an uplifting experience.
Next, we're off to the Grand Canyon.