Here we go!! The video is uploaded so on with the post….
I’m not a very adventurous person. I like to keep grounded. I like to keep both feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds. I like to keep my feet on the ground while I reach for the stars….okay…..enough of that. That’s the way I used to feel before I felt the freeing, floating feeling of hot air balloon flight. I wasn’t really sure this was for me, although I thought it might be fun. So I contacted Mike Hernandez of Carried Away Balloon Flights.
We emailed back and forth looking for the right day with the right conditions. Being first timers Mike wanted it to be perfect for us and he couldn’t have picked a better one, a warm Spring evening with clear skies and light winds.
After the crew set up the balloon Capt. Mike gave us a briefing of what to expect on take off and landing. Sounded simple enough. He likened take off to a slow ride on an elevator and I have to say that’s pretty much how it was.
From the take off site we flew over Glens Falls and toward Queensbury.
Floating at 1600 feet it feels as though you aren’t moving but when you look down you can see that you are. We flew over neighborhoods and schools, barking dogs and cheering people on the ground. The houses lined up on the streets from that distance look like houses on a Monopoly board. At one point a car was following us on the street below, waving to us through their sunroof. It was amazing to see how far sound travels that far in the air. We continued to glide along over treetops and neighborhoods while Capt, Mike checked with his chase crew and kept us aloft by hitting the burners. Mike shared with us stories of how he travels with his balloon to Mexico and Texas. He also told us about how he got into ballooning in the first place. It turns out that he took his wife on a balloon flight and she fell in love with it, so he bought a balloon! Mike became licensed and even though he hasn’t given up his full time job (although one day he hopes to) he finds time to fly private and offers a variety of flights to the public.
One of the best ways to experience ballooning if you have a large group is “cloud hopping.” That’s where Capt. Mike will take out 2 to 3 people from the group in the morning and 2 to 3 people from the group in the evening for a 30 minute flight. It only costs $100 a person which is a great deal, especially for a first timer.
Once we were able to secure a landing site we started to descend. By the time we got to the landing site we had attracted quite a crowd, parents and kids. One couple whose house we flew over met us at the landing site. “Where did you take off from?” the woman asked. “Moreau”, I said. “You skimmed our house. You were taking pictures!”
After the crew got the balloon down and packed away, Capt. Mike and his crew gave us a ride back to our car. But before we left we had champagne and snacks to celebrate the flight! While drinking to the incredible time that we had, Capt Mike told about flying the balloon in winter ( yes, he flies ALL YEAR ROUND), even though it’s cold there is no humidity and its so clear you can see forever! When they flew over Lake George he said that he could actually see the curvature of the Earth!!
Another special event that Carried Away Balloon Flights goes to is the balloon weekend at Lake Lauderdale Campground in Cambridge NY. Mike will be there with his balloon offering tether rides to the kids and full flights for adults. It sounded like so much fun that my husband and I are going to camp there just for the balloon weekend, which is the first weekend in June.
For those of you who might be a little more adventurous than I am Capt. Mike offers “adventure flights” where he actually will skim over and possibly touch the surface of a lake or come close enough to the treetops to scare out turkeys or deer. Whatever flight you choose there will be plenty of photo opportunities that you won’t want to miss.
A balloon flight is a fun, safe and spectacular way to see the incredible Adirondack scenery. Captain Mike and his crew will insure that you have a memorable flight and even a little souvenir balloon made from the champagne cork at the end!
Carried Away flies year round and is a great anniversary or birthday present. So give Captain Mike a call and he will make sure your flight is as perfect as ours was.
To see videos of the actual flight go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGKhTs-38gc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBemi8Msmag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqCaL3ciSNY
what a great experience!!!!
It looks like so much fun!!
It was lots of fun!
Now I have to get up the nerve to whitewater raft.