A view that only can be appreciated from a hot air
balloon...the sunrise over the rolling landscape of Eagle Ridge and The
Galena Territory.
A first-ever ride in hot air balloon
offers beauty, rest, excitement, fun
by Daniel Hines
Publisher
America's Seniors/TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
In
the not too distant past, a best-selling book listed things that people
should do before they die. One of those was to take a hot air balloon
ride.
I had begun to despair that I would ever
have the experience until my recent visit to Eagle Ridge Lodge and Resort in
the Galena Territory on the outskirts of Galena.
The balloon rides are a relatively new
attraction for the popular lodge and add to the diversity of the total
experiences that Eagle Ridge offers.
The decision was a winner as the thousands
of rolling and picturesque acres of Eagle Ridge and The Galena Territory
offer a vista that is literally breathtaking.
The rides are conducted by Andy
Williams. Andy is a youthful ordained minister who apparently has
decided that he is closer to God when riding in a balloon than at any other
time.
He has transformed his enthusiasm into a
successful business. Although headquartered in Galena, Andy and his
wife have operations in other states.
When I was offered the opportunity to take
advantage of yet another Eagle Ridge attraction, I jumped at the
chance.
I was disappointed when troublesome
weather conditions caused the first ride to be postponed until the following
morning. It was to be a blessing in disguise.
There is something special about the early
morning preparations of balloon flight, followed by the rapid ascension into
a sunrise.
Pilot Williams helps make the flight extra
special with his winning smile and personality. Even his occasional
remarks about his excellent depth vision as we approach tree tops followed
by a rapid rise only increased the pleasure of the flight.
When one first ascends, the quiet is not
like anything I have experienced since my days with the 82nd Airborne
Division as a young man. Andy had told me that there would be such an
experience.
Andy is an excellent pilot who has been
flying since he was only 15 years old. His father still flies a hot
air balloon, although it is basically a one-passenger basket, unlike the
large 15-person basket used by Andy.
After
the ride, we enjoyed a ballooning tradition, the after flight drinks and the
induction into the society for Aeronauts. The drinks, a sparkling wine
and orange juice, were accompanied by a toast:
"The
winds have welcomed you with softness,
the sun has blessed you with his
warm hands;
You have flown so high and so
well,
That God has joined you in your
laughter and
Set you gently back again into
The loving arms of Mother
Earth"
Thanks Andy, and thanks Eagle Ridge for
having the vision to make such an experience possible.
After
the ride, we enjoyed a ballooning tradition, the after flight drinks and the
induction into the society for Aeronauts. The drinks, a sparkling wine
and orange juice, were accompanied by a toast: