Ballooning...

15 April 2010

"Thank you" just doesn't seem enough.... my dear friend Keryn asked Briony and I to join in with her birthday balloon flight this morning.

We have made at least 4 attempts to 'take' this flight over the last few months..... but with good weather being essential we have had it cancelled on each attempt due to fire ban....heat....or wind.

But this week the weather was looking superb...and we were not disappointed.

We were up bright and early.... 2am to be exact.... we needed to leave home in time to be in the Barossa Valley at the meeting place at 4.30am....
Its amazing how simple that is when you are wildly excited about the flight ahead.

We were met and weighed.....signed in....and jumped on the bus ready to head off to the launch site..... on the way a check of the weather revealed the winds were a little strong to fly in the Barossa Valley this morning.....so we headed off toward Blanchetown on the river. Our flight was to take in the beautiful River Murray.....and even though it meant a little more travelling....we were all eager and delighted about that.

Here we are all rugged up ...waiting for the balloon to inflate....
Almost set.... and the sun is just peeking over the horizon....

Finally the moment has arrived.....we are in the basket and ready for take off.... the burner is quite loud.....but also warm....which is a bonus....

Now..... some of these photos are taken by the operators Balloon Adventures .... they had a camera mounted in the balloon and another of the staff took snaps of us from the ground.... we were thrilled and jumped at the chance to buy copies.

We flew over vineyards..... and then dropped over the river cliffs and along the Murray.... it was peaceful.....and the bird life was amazing....



Yes .....that's me with the ridiculous hooded jacket on......I feel the cold terribly....and I wasn't parting with my fleecy hood for anyone.....well...not until I saw the photos....and I wished Id at least removed it for one photo....oh well.





Then it was time to land.... they opened the vents at the top of the balloon.....and we slowly drifted down.....a couple of small skips across the ground and we were down.... (secretly we had been hoping the basket to fall on its side.....but nup....it was a text book landing)

Time to dismount.... and help to pack it away.....
Then... back on the bus to a lovely spot alongside the river for a delicious picnic champagne breakfast.....
It really was an amazing experience...and I highly recommend both the experience.......and "Balloon Adventures"

(Foot note: for some reason .....every time I say the word balloon in my head....I pronounce it 'bal - oooen' just like Cath Day- Knight......I just cant get that hilarious pronunciation out of my head.)

10 comments

  1. Oh Mardi that looks AMAZING!!!! What a fantastic experience that must've been. That's one thing I'd love to do...it's on my list! The photos are so spectacular!!! What a beautiful way to spend the morning you lucky girl! :)

    Sheree xx

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  2. what an incredible thing to do...the view must have been fantastic...the photos are great....xxx

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  3. What a WONDERFUL experience Mardi. Tassy and I would sooo love that. They do balloon flights in Canberra and one of these days when she's a bit older we WILL do it!!

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  4. Oh wow Mardi that looks like so much fun...what an experience!!

    Craig and I had 2 attempts to have a balloon flight over Melbourne but like you they were cancelled due to weather, after seeing your photos I am very keep to book in again and see if we make it off the ground!!

    Thanks for sharing
    Cherie xoxo

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  5. Oh my how awesome. You are a lucky ducky Mardi. The photos are so amazing.

    xx Leanne

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  6. Oh my gosh Mardi, what breathtaking photos and what an amazing experience! I am SO thrilled that you could experience hot air ballooning. I think you are very brave too!!! Thank you for sharing these amazing photos with us too xx Janelle

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  7. Allie4:29 pm

    Oh it looks amazing Mardi! I went in Mildura about 10 years ago and it is still one of the best experiences I've ever had. The sensation of floating above the ground is fantastic. We didn't have the fantastic photos of us in the air like you did - how brilliant are they?

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  8. Awesome ride Mardi....
    We had a few hoppers here too a few weeks ago & not just out bush either.
    Loving all ur photo's as usual....very well taken
    Jxx

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  9. Anonymous7:11 pm

    Oh Wow Mardi, that looks awesome and the photos are fantastic, what an experience and the views are awesome.Looking at your photos I will definitely have to put this on my "to do" list.
    Lorraine

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  10. This type of adventure is definitely on my "to do" list! It looks fantastic!

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