But Wait There's more!

Well this is a bucket List item, so the BLOG is bound to be long!

We had to go up  much higher than usual to get the currents but soon we were on our way with rich agricultural land below us. The basket rotates continuously and slowly so I very quickly lost my bearings. Everyone was talking and pointing and snapping photos as the landscape changed below us.

Later on we all seemed to settle down, and we glided with great serenity over the green wheat fields and pasture and the lime/yellow canola fields, some native scrub and farm buildings. We all became still and quiet as we floated through the silvery sky.

Dawn on horizon.

Our truly capable aeronaut Donna Tasker. She works in Myanmar as a balloon operator during the hot season in Perth when it is not favourable for ballooning.

Then came the urgency of finding a landing spot. As soon as we started to descend we went off course and soon Donna had to settle for a track near a farm shed. She used the vents to allow the balloon to descend.

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I was extremely worried as I took this next shot that I was going to drop my camera over the edge! See the black cords - they are the only safety equipment on board! When we landed we braced our bottoms against the divider in the basket and held onto these cords. But Donna was so precise that the scuff mark on the ground when we landed was only about a foot long.

"Around the world in 11 days!" The news over here was filled with the achievment of a Russian Balloon adventurer. He left from the same airfield as I did - Northam - and passed over it on his return but was unable to make a safe landing here - of course his balloon was much bigger than ours. It had a capsule of Helium surrounding the hot air part which was necessary to help with navigating.

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After we had our champagne breakfast we drove to the hangar to see the small yellow capsule which he had lived in. The silver balloon had been cut up for souvenirs. His son - who spoke for him on TV - came to speak to Donna and Leon. The dehydration and severe cold had taken a toll on his Dad and he was recuperating slowly.

Duncan's view

What an untimely month away in hospital battling the poisons of Cholangitis - interrupting my story of the Hot air balloon ride!

Starting to inflate

Duncan decided that he did not need to join me on the flight, but he was lucky enough to be able to join Leon on the pursuit vehicle. To start with the balloon was filled with cold air and then they turned the burners on and the balloon started to right itself. We all climbed on board - I was starting to worry that the truck was going to lift as well.

This was the greatest feeling when we hovered just a few feet off the ground!

And then we gradually moved with the air currents over the airport and away into the country. We had to go higher than usual which meant we were up in the air for about an hour and a half rather than the usual 45mins! Donna didn't want to land on any crops but we just could not manoeuvre to a landing place so she had to put it down on a track - very high precision.

After landing on the track, Donna turned the burners on just enough to let the balloon be positioned on the trailer. I think Duncan was supposed to be helping now - but he was under such strict instructions to take the photos I think he took the correct option!

With the vents now open the balloon started to deflate and we all rallied around to help pack it up and head on back to Northam with Up Up and Away and 99 Red Balloons playing loudly on the stereo.