June 28, 2013 Passengers: Byron & Christy Davis and daughters, Ashley & Brooke Today we have a family from Texas out here on a vacation that has NOT been what they planned on….weather wise…but today Mother Nature will make up to them with a BONUS flight. I call for the Keizer site at the ramp and the pi-ball shows us light and variable so we get the gear out and hooked up. Since we have 2 “cute” lil gals Cecil decides they need to get a “up close, inside” look at Starship. I get the heat in and we are ready for the passengers to board. We are off the lot and catch a 180* shift from the pi-ball and head west toward the river over the trees. I really DON’T want this track so I go looking for some “steerage” with nothing high its down low for some “down slope drainage” off the Eola Hills to the west and it works. We back track toward the dog runs then hook back to the south (which is what I want) toward the river. It’s really calm here so I have time to “sneak” in a dip in the river, much to the pleasure of the kayak campers on the bank. It’s up over the tree line and into the dairy’s big corn field that is being sprayed today. The “gang” has already been on the move to the west side of the river so I have them move down River Bend Rd. to the Fowler family gravel operation. These folks are VERY balloon friendly so I set the shot and will wait for Cecil to get to us. About the time we are over the open field the radio cracks with the word…. “gate locked…not a soul around”… Dang, then I remember this is the week before the 4th and that is the Fowler family 2 week shutdown for the annual “everybody take” a vacation time. Well the Davis family will get a bonus ride today as I go looking for another LZ. Mark has all his land in crops so I’m thinking of using Blake’s hazel nut farm as the spot today. They have a big front yard on the home place that we’ve been in before if I can just get to it. This will take some flying so I go looking for more steerage. I get a hook to the west which puts me on the RIGHT side of the power lines and over the orchard. This is “young” orchard so the trees are not yet a solid canopy which will work for me. The gang move under us and at tree top I find the hook needed to get us to them and a line down. Now the boys start to tow us out of here and about 500+ YARDS later to the south we come to the BEAUTIFUL open front yard. They swing us around for the catch and get the balloon deflated and ready fro the bag. Time to load up and head back to Keizer for the picnic. I get the story started, the toast is done and the certificates are presented. PASSENGER COMMENTS: The Davis family from Texas: “What a great way to end our trip! We enjoyed everything, it was all beautiful!! A BIG thank you to today’s Crew (I can’t get in the air or back on the ground without’um) Cecil, Ed, Tim TRACK Average Speed: 2.0 MPH Distance Flown: 2.8 Miles Websystem hosting provided by WolfPk. | Site Map Copyright © 2003-2017 Balloon Flying Service of Oregon, Inc. Legal Information All Rights Reserved.