The "My First & Only Hot Air Balloon Ride" Story

Preparing the balloon for flight.

It was an ordinary day.  Beautiful June day with a slight breeze blowing from the west.  Most of Lancaster County's fields have been seeded and a few lawnmowers can be heard from time to time.  I wished my wife goodbye and headed toward Ephrata, Pennsylvania for something I have wanted to do for many years...take a hot air balloon ride.  

Our pilot for the trip.

My wife and I had recently celebrated our wedding anniversary and her gift to me was my hot air balloon ride.  There were about half-a -dozen excited people waiting when our balloon showed up in the bed of a pick-up truck.  Wasn't long before the burner started spitting out the colored flame which created the hot air needed to inflate the gigantic multi-colored balloon.  Not once did I fear riding above the Garden Spot Of America and taking in all the county scenes that I have seen primarily from the ground in years past.   The balloon was pulling at it's tethers when we were all escorted into the basket and told where to stand and how to hold on to the basket.  

An Amish family wave to us as we pass.

My camera with telephoto lens was filled with a new roll of Koda- chrome film and I have a few spare rolls to document my ride today.  When we began to rise, I began taking photos of farmer's fields as well as a few of those in the balloon doing the same.  I was surprised how quiet the ride was and found we could hear people on the ground yelling to us in the balloon.  

Our silhouette on the farm field as we descend.

We had drifted east for about 30 minutes when our pilot told us we were going to lower to the ground to take on another passenger.  As we descended the wind picked up and I could see we weren't going to make the landing spot that we were approaching.  We were moving sideways as we struck the ground going about 20 miles-per hour.  I suspected something was going to happen.  And it did.  We touched down on a ridge of land along a road and the basket tipped over throwing everyone toward the pilot of the balloon.  I was on the opposite side and did manage to support myself so I wouldn't fall on anyone.  

I got this photograph from the fellow following us on the ground.
You can see an Amish buggy along the street where we crashed.

We were pulled sideways about 50 feet before the balloon came to a stop in the gutter of the road.  Luckily no one was injured and we all agreed that it may be best if we are transported back at that time instead of attempting to lift off once again.  I ended up with a few photos I had not expected.  After being transported back to our starting point, I headed home with my incredible story. At first no one would believe it, but after having my film developed and prints made, I had actual proof of my one and only hot-air balloon ride I will ever take!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Our balloon after we had climbed out of it.

Someone took a photograph of me while in flight.

Another view of the balloon after we landed.