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| The crew prepares before the flight |
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| After the balloon is partially inflated, the pilot turns on the flame |
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| The balloon expands |
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| Now inflated, the balloon is ready for lift-off; we climb in the basket and marvel at what we see |
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| Up, up, and away! |
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| We look out over a misty forest to a newly frozen lake |
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| Drifting down over the lake, our balloon's reflection is visible in the ice |
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| We gently tap the surface, breaking the thin shell of ice that has formed |
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| Rippling water and cracked panes of ice are visible in our wake |
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| We drift on through new, grassier terrain now |
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| All too soon it is time to land. Hovering ever lower in a clearing, we throw a rope down to the crew member on the ground, and he hauls us in |
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| Back on the ground, we pause for a few moments to bid goodbye to our balloon before enjoying celebratory mimosas |
4 comments:
Wow. Those are spectacular! I love how you broke the layer of ice on top of the lake. You got some breathtaking shots. The shadow of the balloon over the forest is too cool.
I love the photo of the floating ice. Liev would like to know how cold you were, and Ru is wondering if you have a fear of heights at all. :D
Wow, that looks amazing, albeit very cold. The reflection in the frozen lake is really beautiful.
Tabs, I love the way the reflection gets shattered along with the ice, don't you? Very neat.
Liev, I was wearing five layers on top and four on the bottom, and was perfeclty warm. (Also, there is some warmth in the basket because it's a *hot* air balloon :-D).
Ru, I don't think I have any more fear of heights than anyone else. But one of the other women on the trip said she was kind of scared of heights, and she did fine. A balloon basket feels pretty secure - you have a floor and walls, so you don't feel like you are going to fall.
Sandie, the reflections in the lake were so bright, it was really spectacular to see!
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