Hot air ballooning

[ozzy72]

Two of our racing partners

The engines... and I didn't bring any marshmallows to cook on 'em!

Great clouds... I didn't realise I'd even caught this effect.

Three Chinooks going in the other direction...

Interesting lighting effects....

My shot of the day, 1 mile up, our shadow, on a cloud, surrounded by a circular rainbow!

[Hawkeye07]

Very cool Mark! I've been told that it's also very quiet as you're floating along. How was your experience? That last shot of the "Sun Dog" effect surrounding the balloons'
shadow looks very much like the shot I took while flying in a Shackleton way back in 1981 in Iceland. Yours is much more defined than mine though. Perhaps because I was using a friends' 110 camera.

[ozzy72]

It was very strange, you rarely actually got any sense of movement. It was almost like standing on a ledge. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[Hawkeye07]

It was very strange, you rarely actually got any sense of movement. It was almost like standing on a ledge. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Believe it or not, I'm afraid of heights so the "standing on a ledge" might be a bit of a drawback. Strange as it seems I know quite a few pilots and aircrew who admit to being
afraid of heights. I don't understand it myself but even when I'm bouncing around on a windy day in a C-150 and looking down at the ground far below me
(well, in a 150 it's not that far below ) I'm not affected by it in the slightest but ask me to climb up on my roof is a different story.
I'm OK as long as I'm not near the edge but...

[ozzy72]

I'm exactly the same, I took up bungee jumping and parachuting then rock climbing to try and overcome my fear of heights, however, still makes me sweat! But in the balloon it was gentle and rather soothing...