Yeah, it actually was fun, but I don't have any idea how long it was or how far we travelled. I haven't worn a watch for a LONG time. The pilot says he tries to take his passengers as far as he can, for as long as he can, based on weather conditions. But apparently there is a point not too far past where we came down that there are NO landing spots available. So I guess a lot depends on wind speed and direction. They send up test balloons before committing to the big balloons, I guess to make sure they are going to be going in a safe direction. So it is entirely possible that the flight can be scrubbed and you will have wasted the morning. You will have to sign a disclaimer holding them blameless if you get injured or killed, btw. I do have to admit I wasn't all that thrilled about that.
The guy said one time he had to land in 30 mph winds, so I would bet that was a bit hair raising. He was actually a bit concerned because there was a storm front heading our way at the time.
The reason I didn't have the video running when we landed was because they recommend keeping both hands wrapped around some support, and flex your knees for the jolt of landing. There are a couple of things worth commenting on, I suppose. One is that if you are tall, that propane flame is going to be pretty close to the top of your head, and you can REALLY feel the heat from it. So a hat would be recommended. Also, even though it is more money, a private flight with a small group of family or friends will be a LOT more comfortable than letting them pack the flight with as many as they can squeeze in there. We were like sardines, and I would have liked to have been able to move around a bit to get better angles. As it was, the best I could do is to move within about a two foot square space.
Speaking of that disclaimer, check YouTube for some balloon mishaps to get a feel for what CAN go wrong.
