August 4, 2013 Passengers: Kim Hibdon, Len Updike Today we again meet at Keizer as the winds are light out of the north. I move us to the school parking lot for the set-up and the “gang” gets the gear out and ready to fly. I have Cecil put the heat to Starship and we call for the passengers to get on board. We are off the lot and the drift south is going to allow me to “collect on a bet” from Dan & Terry, friends that live close by. We sometimes fly close to there house from this site and they made a bet that I COULDN’T put a bean bag (an aerial calling card) in their backyard. We have some GOOD “steerage” winds low and we work our way right to them and leave them TWO bags in there back yard. We start the climb back to altitude and pass by Don Clarke’s farm, past City Hall and angle off to the west toward River Road. This track will put us across the river and NOT a direction we want to go with Sunday “church” traffic being what it is on the bridges. I call the tower and get permission to drop some altitude to get the hook east we had earlier and we swing back toward River Rd. again. We are on track to get to the Cap-Chev pond again and get Kim’s “open toed” shoes a little damp. We slip over the edge of the pond and get a nice little “dunk” done, more than planned but wet to be sure. We call for the “gang” to move to the field behind the pond for the LZ today as we slip that way. We drop into the field and the gang pulls us down safely. The guys gets the balloon deflated, the passengers do the sit and we are on our way back for the picnic. I get the story started, the toast is done and the certificates are presented. PASSENGER COMMENTS: Len: “Great first balloon ride! Very calm & peaceful, gotta do this again!” A BIG thank you to today’s Crew (I can’t get in the air or back on the ground without’um) Cecil, Tim, Ed, Richard TRACK Average Speed: 3.0 MPH Distance Flown: 3.2 Miles Websystem hosting provided by WolfPk. | Site Map Copyright © 2003-2017 Balloon Flying Service of Oregon, Inc. Legal Information All Rights Reserved.