put on clean underware

[jonboy 69]

thursday myself & two friends took the plunge and went on a hot air balloon ride. we had been dancing with the weather for a week to ten days trying to get a day to fly. thursday turned out perfect, warm, sunny,fall colors,no rain and wind less than 8mph. the stars aligned that day. lifted off about 6 pm and landed around 7pm. a great hour of scenery between bath, hammondsport and keuka lake. a nice easy landing kicking out deer & turkey. just frozen grins on our faces the whole trip. even if i went again i'm not sure if we could match this trip as this was the course & conditions i had dreamed of. one for the bucket list!

 

[VM]

Thanks for the Beautiful pictures.
I took a Balloon ride 20 years ago with a friend - it was amazing and very peaceful.

 

[GKC]

Beautiful pictures!

Not at all what I expected when I opened this thread, but still...well worth looking at.

 

[Damn Yankee]

Ah the Finger Lakes.

How I miss the Fall with all it's colors crisp mornings and fresh fruit. Haven't seen a twenty ounce apple since I moved from the state of high taxes and bad gun laws.

Lived in Monroe County for sixty years.

Use to hunt deer down in Birdsall in Allegany County when I was a young man.

 

[feralmerril]

By golly there are other places than utah! How much weight will the average balloon carry besides the pilot?

 

[s&wchad]

Spectacular colors! The first photo is so crisp, it almost looks fake.

 

[labworm]

Everyone should ride in a Balloon and a Glider at least once in their lives. Both are a great experiences that you won't forget.

 

[Iggy]

Always wanted to give that a try, but around here if you took off in Wyoming, you might wind up Ohio and I cain't afford the return trip...

 

[A10]

That sure is some pretty country! Thanks for posting the pics!

 

[Thuer]

A Balloonride is one of my big wishes.
Thanks for the pictures.
They are amazing.

 

[kyf]

Did you get "initiated" after your first balloon ride? It's an amazing experience, being in a hot air balloon. Peaceful and quiet, except when the burners are going. If you have never been to or seen the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta try and get there sometime. It is extraordinary seeing 400-500 hot air balloons at one time. Not to mention the night glow, special shapes, pre-dawn launch, and the Albuquerque "Box".

 

[ErnieDeBord]

WELL I gotta ask........where your undies "wrinked"?

 

[S. Hammer]

I'm guessing Keuka and Seneca Lakes?

 

[JJEH]

Amazing... thanks for sharing this!!!

 

[DWFAN]

That is totally awesome. Bucket list for sure.
DW

 

[scooter123]

Looks like you had a great ride. Just wish you could explain one thing to me. How is it that Western New York came to be considered "Upstate"? As someone who has vacationed at Lake George since 1966 I've always considered the Adirondack's as Upstate and the Finger Lakes region as Western New York. Today it seems that any part of the state not on Long Island or in the 5 boroughs is "upstate" and I have to wonder how that came about.

 

[jonboy 69]

answeres to questions

WELL I gotta ask........where your undies "wrinked"?

i had only left this earth twice before flying in 2 seater cessnas locally. both of those times i felt a little apprehensive but as soon as we were in the air all there was is a great feeling of exhilaration. the only apprehension i might of had was the landing and that went very smooth. i asked how many people can't cope and the answer was hardly any. they had never had to abort a flight. other than the blast of the burner it is very quiet & peaceful, just floating along.

as far as weight limits for balloons, i have no idea. this trip we had 4 people with avg weight of 165 plus 4 30 gal ? LP tanks.

the flight was from about 4 miles N of bath and ended 3-4 miles N/E of hammondsport NY.



over the village of hammondsport;

at the "head" of keuka lake;

after set down;

as i said, all of the elements came my way that day. warm, fall colors, good friends, and crossing keuka.

oh, as far is what is considered "upstate" for me it's just being several hours above the 5 burroughs. and yes, part of the finger lakes region.

thanks to all for the nice comments.

 

[rcnixon]

Mrs. Nixon is a fourth generation Manhattan native. Anything north or west of Yonkers is "upstate". Lake George is in Canada, isn't it?

Russ

 

[beemerphile]

Beautiful. I used to live on Skyline Drive that runs down the "Y" in Keuka Lake. I was there this summer and remembered how much I enjoyed it.