The Keebler

J+M+J

Thursday night, I dreamed about hot air balloons. Noon Friday, I learned Dad was going to take Landon, Maria, Johnathan, and I along in his friend Mr. Wilson’s pick-up truck while he chased the hot air ballon Mr. Wilson was flying with his instructor and helped him inflate and deflate the balloon. Maria said she wasn’t going to come because she had seen hot air balloons on television.
When Dad arrived at three, we piled in his truck and went to a park in Brandon. Soon Mr. Wilson arrived and we began to help him set up the balloon. First we got the balloon bag out of the car. The boys helped roll it a little way from the car. Then we got out the basket and put it upright.

Next we tipped the basket on it’s side and Dad and I began to take the 200 and some pound balloon out of it’s bag. It was like a magician’s scarf trick in that it kept coming and coming. Meanwhile, Mr. Wilson’s instructor arrived.

Now we turned on the fan and began to inflate the balloon with cold air. Mr. Wilson informed me that I was to help him buckle down the top of the air balloon’s vents so the heat, when it was applied, would not escape. I passed off the camera to Landon.

Filling up!

Buckling down.

This is why it’s called ‘The Keebler’

Beginning to rise!

The inside.

After the vents were closed, Mr. Wilson gave me a rope attached to the top of the balloon and told me how to ease up the balloon into the air as the burner heated up the air inside the balloon. This was hard as the balloon was EXTREMELY HEAVY!

Getting directions. I have to wrap the rope around my waist but not tie it and pull. I am told to let go if I have to. Then Mr. Wilson demonstrates what he does not want to happen by cupping his hand to his mouth and calling into the sky, “Let go of the rope, Sarah!”

The balloon is not very heavy in this picture yet. For now I am able to smile and wave.

Now the balloon is big and it takes all my strength to hold on. I ease it up.

Going up!

All the way up.

Dad loves this picture.

When the balloon was completely in the air, I rushed in and added my weight to help keep the basket down. Mr. Wilson had me step up into the basket on a side that was trying to escape into the air. This was a lot of fun. It was similar to those rides in the entrance to the grocery store where you are rocked back and forth. The wind pushed the balloon up. Sometimes the basket would lift. I leaned to this sneaky side trying to go up, and then to that side, trying to keep my balance. I called to Landon to take pictures of me in the balloon.

When the basket was level and everything was ready for the take off, I heard Mr. Wilson say to his instructor, “Can we take her along?” I held my breath. The instructor’s answer was yes, if Dad would consent. She went over to talk to him, and Dad nodded his head. The instructor had only been giving him directions on how to cast off the rope, which was tied to the pick-up. THen Mr. Wilson asked, and Dad said: YES! We lifted off. I wished I could have had the camera, but Dad was getting into the truck and, “I can’t come back! I don’t know how it works!”

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Wheeee!!

Mr. Wilson’s touch-and-go.

We flew low over the country. We saw many pheasants, deer, rabbits, and cows. I even saw a fish jump out of Beaver Creek we were flying above. The bottom of the creek was visible, as the water was transparent. The sun was out and there were no clouds. The ride was smooth and the air was fresh, cool, and crisp. However, it was not too cold. The only shivers I had were from excitement. The ride was smooth and gentle, except when Mr. Wilson practiced landing with a touch-and-go. I was instructed to bend my knees, face the direction we were going, and grab the basket in two places while we landed. It wasn’t quite as bumpy as I thought it would be. After we touched ground, Mr. Wilson squeezed the fire on and we rose into the air.
When we gained speed and height, Mr. Wilson let me squeeze the handle that controls the fire. I could just reach it by standing on the balls of my feet and reaching my arm high above my head. At first, Mr. Wilson told me when to use the fire, then the instructor told me she wanted to try something new. She squeezed my hand whenever it was time to use the fire. She helped me land the ballon very gently with almost no hard bumps. We touched ground, then lifted off a couple of feet and glided along the ground, and alighted again. This was repeated several times, like a stone skipping across water. Finally we came to a halt behind a car racing track that was not in use at that time.
Mr. Wilson took over and we again gained speed and height. He did not quite get that it was actually the instructor who had made the landing and he said, “Now you can’t make me look that bad.” We didn’t tell him what was actually going on until we had landed for good.
All too soon, it would be sunset, and Mr. Wilson landed the balloon. This time it was much bumpier, and I was smashed between Mr. Wilson and the instructor, who took turns falling on me. It didn’t hurt that bad. Dad pulled up in his Mr. Wilson’s truck and all together we began to put the balloon away.
First Dad pulled the air balloon onto the ground. Then Mr. Wilson and his instructor squeezed the air out of the balloon. Then everyone helped put the balloon into the bag. When the balloon was in, Johnathan jumped on the bag to get the air out. Finally, everything was loaded into the back of the pick-up truck.

Squeezing out the air.

Stuffing the balloon into the bag.

We returned too the park, had a few snacks, and then we went home. I had not expected to have ridden in the balloon that day.

A+M+D+G