The Champagne Connection

As you can see have never done this and would probably never have thought of it but our daughters did and they bought this treat for us as our anniversary gift. That's Ed Steele, owner of Shasta Valley Balloons (.com, to see his website) who has been doing this over 15 years and you will be amazed at his flying skill. We of course were at the whim of the wind at all times but the pilot controls altitude and if he's good enough like Ed there are times when the basket can be just inches above the pasture grasses.

This is what the balloon looks like inside as it's being inflated. More accurately a fan (in the distance to the right of the basket) is fluffing up the envelope so that when Ed fires up the propane heaters they won't be anywhere near the nylon fabric. Sally took this shot from the air vent that the pilot opens when he wants to let out the hot air and descend.

This is Rohr Field from about 1,000 feet I think, directly after liftoff. You can see the flight activity in progress. Today was Young Eagle Day where the local chapeter of the Experimental Aircraft Association takes kids on rides. There were an awful lot of happy children down there when we landed who had never before been in the air.
And this is the top of a willow tree about 40 feet off the ground. From about 4 feet away.... Ed is so good we never touched it. Just after this we coasted across a pasture with the basket brushing the grass tops and never the ground. He's that good.

Oh, and before I forget there is a champagne brunch following. Strawberries (that you dip in sour cream and then in brown sugar), crackers and brie cheese, quiche, and of course, the bubbly (with orange juice if you prefer mimosa). Coming full circle, Ed explained that ballooning began in France in 1783 when they simply started a fire in the basket and hoped the silk envelope didn't catch on fire.

The problems however got worse when peasants in the countryside where the balloonists tried to land became hostile, thinking they were English invaders. Being creative, the balloonists knew that there was nothing more French than champagne and so they began dangling a bottle beneath the basket to assure the natives that they too were French.

Voila.

Don't wait 50 years to do this folks, it's something you'll never forget.