This was our fourth attempt and the weather was finally on our side. So, on Wednesday evening we got to fly in a big balloon, high in the sky, and see parts of Ottawa! It was so much fun!
We called the flight line at 2:30 which was going to tell us the status of our flight and what time to meet (if the weather was good). We had a good feeling as the weather looked good and we were so excited when they said it was a go! We definitely know that they take safety very seriously since we've had 3 balloon rides cancelled already, but it was a relief to finally get the ok and know that the wind was just right and the weather was perfect. It was about time! Although when talking with our fellow balloon riders we did find out that it had also taken them a while to fly, so this must be common for ballooning - don't expect to go on your first attempt!
After meeting, all 12 of us 'ballooners' got in a 'party bus' and were driven to our launching location, where we then saw how the balloon gets blown up and ready for launch. What a cool experience to see the balloon grow so large (it really is massive when you see it up close)! Then, it was time to hop in and take off.
It didn't take long and we were up in the air, floating peacefully, calmly and enjoyably over the river, passing beautiful green scenery. Every so often our pilot would press the fire and it was amazing to see! The ride lasted about an hour in the air and we took a ton of pictures!
Once we landed, in some large field, we had a champagne toast and helped (a bit!) to put away the balloon and get things cleaned up. Unfortunately there were so many mosquitoes - more than we've EVER seen, in swarms and swarms, so we were definitely ready to get back in the bus and head back to our cars. It was all over, and we had a great time chatting about it on our way back. Side note - we met a sweet couple who have 5 year old twin daughters and enjoyed talking to them about our 'twin experiences'. It was fun answering their questions and we hope that her daughters will one day have the relationship we have. Oh how our 'twinness' follows us everywhere!
Now, when we see a hot air balloon in the sky we can say to ourselves, "we did that!!" - a dream come true! It's definitely something we can now cross off our 'drive' and it was an experience we'll never forget! It'd be amazing to be able to go again one day!
So there you go - our long awaited balloon ride blog! We recommend 'ballooning' to anyone and everyone... it was fabulous! (and not scary at all... so you don't have to be too adventurous to try it!)
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