Up, Up and Away...

...in my beautiful ballooooooooooon!

A fifth anniversary surprise. My only clue, "Wake up at 4 a.m. and dress warmly." Yoikes. But I love surprises and this was a good one. We mustered at the micro-mini aerfield outside of Northam (100 kms out of Perth) and drove out to a sheep farm to set up the balloons. We were in the larger of the two, holds 16 plus a pilot, and everyone was expected to help get it ready or get out of the way-depending on what stage of inflation we were at. The morning was not too cold, the sheep not nervous, all were awed and clicking away on their cameras.

An impressive flame-thrower heated the air inside the balloon. It rose and upturned the basket. We were given careful choreography for our entry into the basket. Yeah, easier said than done unless you're an Olympian high jumper who can drop into a small space. Kev is still laughing at my 1-1/2 gainer move into position. No matter, lift off was effortless, aided by long tongues of fire the pilot would occasionally shoot into the balloon. There is no steering a balloon, a pilot gains & loses altitude to find pockets of cold air to help tack a path. Gentle breezes help propel the craft. We graze tree tops, 'awwww' the new baby lambs, spot kangaroo, admire the green hue that is starting to appear on farmers' lands (thanks to the recent winter rains) and imagine fox running from the hen houses. The Avon Valley is a beautiful sight. The Avon River (home to a popular kayaking event called the Avon Descent) has barely a trickle - clearly we need more winter rain.

The Earth is not as quiet as I thought it might be. We can hear the dogs in Northam town backyards barking at 2000 ft...at 3,400 ft. It all reminded me of the barking scene in Disney's animated "101 Dalmations." Trucks could be heard. I couldn't hear the horse being exercised at the Northam race track but the steed, like everything else, cast a Paul Bunyan sized shadow in the low, rising sun. It was a glorious one hour ride. But all good things must come to an end.

We set down in a horse paddock. The ground team whisked the trailer into position in front of us and the pilot gently lowered the balloon exactly on top of it. A wedding party landed in this same horse field on Wednesday morning and the lucky bridal couple was greeted by a very curious foal and mare checking things out and looking for a few pats. The Welcome Waggers didn't bother to come up to us. We got ourselves busy helping to fold up the balloon and stuff it back into its bag. No mean feat as those who have attempted to repack tents or refold maps can attest.

But wait, there's more. A champagne breakfast at the country pub in Northam. A proper Aussie breakfast: scones, fruit, cheese, egg, tomato, baked beans, bacon, toast, mushrooms, juice and a celebratory flute of champagne. Happy Anniversary, Aeronaut!