One Up on Lee’s Bucket List!
November 8th, 2009 | Uncategorized |
Today was a perfect day for a hot air balloon ride, just as Lee’s family had hoped for. Clear blue skies, calm winds and 40°F….the morning dew was still on the grass. Before this morning arrived however, Lee’s husband Brian, her daughter Chelsea (student at JMU) and her son Michael (student at Jefferson Forest HS) surprised her with a very unique PowerPoint presentation centered around the hot air balloon theme….flight info, music, balloon pictures….the works! Lee had talked about wanting to see Forest from the air, and even had a hot air balloon ride on her bucket list. So it just seemed like the right time to make it happen.
Lee and family met with the Forest Winds hot air balloon team precisely at 6:45 AM. Sunrise was just two minutes later. With light surface winds from the west and winds aloft from the northwest, we needed to head west towards Goode and set up for inflation there. So everyone piled into the chase vehicle and we drove out to Goode Station Rd. Once there, we prepared for inflation. We even managed to recruit Michael as an honorary crew member to assist. In no time at all, The Pride of Forest hot air balloon came to life and at 7:45 AM we were ready for take-off. Lee and Chelsea were ready to go.
Lee and family!
Once airborne, we drifted slightly to the north, but quickly turned south as we gained altitude above 1600′ MSL.
Up, up, and away!
The visibility was absolutely spectacular, and oddly enough there was still a little color in the trees below.
Looking north.
We continued to climb higher and higher to see where the winds would take us. Even above 3000′ MSL, they were still very light and keeping us headed to the south. So we drifted in that direction for a while…all the time taking in the magnificent scenery around us. Chelsea kept busy snapping pictures with her cell phone camera.
Chelsea and Lee
After playing around at > 3000′ MSL for a while, we decided to come back down to the surface and see which way the winds would take us. Turns out we picked us a nice westerly wind just above the tree tops, so we continued to drift to the east back towards Forest, following Rt. 221.
Over Bedford County
With the flight going so well, time just managed to fly by …. but at 8:40 AM, it was about time to look for the perfect landing spot. It didn’t take too long however before we spotted a perfect field just outside of Forest near Virginia Memorial Park (off Rt. 221). Our ground crew was already on the scene and ready to assist the landing. The property owners were out on their back porch watching the approaching balloon. And at 8:52 AM, we were down….a perfect landing!
Although the flight was over, the magic wasn’t. With glasses raised high, we toasted to a great morning, a great flight, and to wonderful way to celebrate a birthday!
Happy birthday Lee!
For more pictures of Lee and Chelsea’s flight, go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/forestwindsinc/Lee_and_Chelsea_Flight_11809#
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