Went on a hot air balloon ride (pic heavy)

[getwozzy]

This morning we got to do something amazing.... A hot air balloon ride!! We've been talking about going for about 4 years now, and finally got the chance...

The pilots we went with have a company who actually lifts off from the local air park in our town, so you'll actually get to see pictures of where I live- Oregon! Our area is mainly farmlands, orchards, flower and tree nurseries, and vineyards.

There were four balloons total, ours was named Thunder.

Getting Thunder ready for flight- unfolding.


Inflating with fans.







See ya later!!


We live right in the center.






Flower nursery


Continued...

 

[getwozzy]

Wetlands


Floating just above tree tops and power poles


And then 2600+ ft in the sky- high enough to reach the clouds


Trying not to drop my phone lol








Coming in for a landing at a local farm


This dog was so brave- came up barking and making a raucous...until the burners went off lol



Continued...

 

[getwozzy]

Our chase crew coming to get us


Towing us across the tippy tops of the trees to get us to the parking lot


Time to deflate


The "ceiling" is open on the too to let the air out


Putting the balloon away


And it fits in that small of a bag


The trip was amazing and we'll definitely be doing it again.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Shirre, make room, I'm moving to your neck of the woods. GORGEOUS GORGEOUS scenery!!!! :32: I'm literally drooling over here.

I'm SO glad you got to go up UP and away today!! Those photos are stunning!

Say, you didn't get nauseous at all when looking down? :52: I get quite "woozy" when I'm up high, so I would have most definitely needed a barf bag. :54:

Let me look at the photos again - SOOOO nice!!!! :32:

 

[Kiwibird]

Wow! Looks like a lot of fun. What beautiful scenery too, especial the wetlands. Thanks for sharing!

 

[getwozzy]

Seriously- if anyone has ever thought of wanting to go up in a hot air balloon- DO IT! The entire experience was amazing; they let us help blow up the balloon and then pack it away. It wasn't too cold or very windy at all- and the burners keep your head warm lol

I started getting woozy when we were taking off, but if you look at the horizon instead of down you get less motion so it helped lol but once you're up there, you're just floating...we were going about 15 mph max, and you can't feel the balloon sway or anything.

 

[Terry57]

Shirre, those pictures are stunning and so is the scenery! Lucky you to live in a place that is so beautiful
I love all the pics from start to finish, truly made me feel like I was there. That picture with the sun shining through the clouds took my breath away. I am so glad y'all did this!!!!

 

[RavensGryf]

Ooh wow how nice Shirre! Glad you had a great afternoon . Absolutely beautiful scenery out there in Oregon!

It's amazing it fits in the bag. Once I take something out of a package, case, box, I can NEVER fold it right to get it back into the original container LOL.

 

[getwozzy]

I'm a bit on the tired side- I woke up at 4:30 am so we could leave at 5:15 and take-off was about 5:45ish and we were home by 9am.

I'm really glad we went- I have a ton more pictures, but these were just a few [emoji6]

 

[RavensGryf]

Wow that's a bit too early for me! I bet it has to do with the atmosphere and wind conditions? Is it because higher winds kick up later in the day?

 

[getwozzy]

Wow that's a bit too early for me! I bet it has to do with the atmosphere and wind conditions? Is it because higher winds kick up later in the day?

Yeah, the later in the day the more the wind picks up, plus it's nice to watch the sunrise on the morning flights- we missed it this morning because of all the clouds, but other than that it was perfect weather for it!

It was cool though- there was different wind speeds and directions at different altitudes, so if we were going too slow he'd let the balloon fall until we hit a breeze and it would push us along. The other balloons did a "splash and go" where they skim the river just slightly and take back off.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

Great pics!!! I was thinking of doing that a couple years ago for my 40th but then I "cheaped out" and didn't. I still would like to do it some day too. Glad you had such a good experience. Those views are just beautiful.

 

[MikeyTN]

It looks amazing but not for me as I'm terrified of heights....lol....So that means no parachuting either....been asked by a few friends as they go often......absolutely not!

 

[antoinette]

Wow you sure had a great time
What a beautiful experience
The pic's are too beautiful
Thanks for sharing