“Just Because I Love You…”

November 7th, 2009 | Uncategorized |

Diahn really wanted to do something special for her husband Mark, but there really wasn’t a special occasion. She just wanted to show Mark how much she loved him. On this particular Saturday, Mark was supposed to go into work early, but Diahn convinced him to postpone going in for just a few hours. Mark had no idea why. They both got into the car and Diahn quickly blindfolded Mark to keep the mystery alive. At 6:45 AM, Diahn and Mark arrived at that the designated meeting spot. With his blindfold still on, Mark emerged from the car not knowing what to expect.

Diahn keeping the mystery!

Diahn finally removed the blindfold and Mark immediately recognized that he was about to embark on a hot air balloon ride …. something the both of them have been talking about for quite some time. Forest Winds had already completed the wind assessment and selected the launch site, so we didn’t waste any time getting into the car and start heading to the location. Under clear skies and light winds from the southwest, The Peaks of Otter Trotter hot air balloon came to life just off Rt. 460 near Owens Market. At 32°F, there was a slight chill in the air and the ground was still damp from the early morning dew. After Ken (pilot) completed the pre-flight checks, Mark and Diahn climbed aboard.

We’re ready for takeoff!

At 7:50 AM, The Peaks of Otter Trotter was airborne and we were on our way.

See ya later!

Slowly we climbed out and began to head to the northeast.

Beautiful morning!

After we gained a little altitude and cleared the tree line, it didn’t take too long before The Peaks of Otter Trotter was cruising at 16 mph. Down below, you could hear the occasional dog bark, but for the most part it still seemed like everyone was still asleep.

Mark & Diahn

We continued to make our way to the northeast towards Forest, sometimes flying high, and sometimes flying low over the tree tops. The winds aloft were reported to be fairly high, so we elected to stay low and keep The Peaks of Otter Trotter at a reasonable cruising speed.

Looking northwest

As the morning sun continued to heat the land, the surface winds were beginning to build. From time to time Diahn would look down at the GPS and call out the balloon speed to Ken. Sometimes we would be cruising at 7 mph, and at other times we would be cruising less than 3. Around 8:40 AM, it was time to begin looking for a landing spot. We were just off Rocky Branch Dr. in the Brookstone subdivision, and just ahead was a perfect field to accommodate the forward momentum of the balloon and provide a large enough area to stay clear of any obstacles. So with a pull of the vent, Ken gently set The Peaks of Otter Trotter down with only two small skips. At 8:45 AM, we were safely down in the field….on Deer Hollow Road. Within 15 minutes, the Forest Winds ground crew was on the scene and making preps for the deflation and pack up.

Toasting to a great flight!

For more pictures of Mark and Diahn’s flight, go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/forestwindsinc/Mark_and_Diahn_Flight_11709#

 

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