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NEW SMYRNA BEACH - We rose above the earth with the calm of sunrise.
Our blue balloon, named Bugly, lifted us gently into the sky as it brushed the canopy of long leaf pines. The captain said that happens sometimes, and I braced myself as the wind carried us eastward.
Captain David Fuller II and several other pilots took some journalists and friends out on a chilly Saturday morning. Five balloons set off together for a short flight a week before the inaugural Balloon Festival scheduled for Jan. 9 and 10 in New Smyrna Beach.
I was warned it would be cold up there, so I wore several but still found myself looking upward at the flame that comforted my face with warmth. It's amazing a few propane tanks and a burner is all it takes to fly.
I climbed into the basket with little worry (despite some nagging from my mom and a best friend) and by the time we rose above the canopy I was completely at ease. Fuller said the biggest danger to ballooning is ground-based obstacles, such as power lines.
He encouraged us to let him know if we saw anything that appeared dangerous or too close to Bugly, a balloon worth about $60,000. (In case you're wondering about the name, Fuller named it Bugly because the balloon used to be "butt ugly." Some of the color paneling has since been changed, though, and now its mostly blue and yellow.)
Although the winds were not strong, he made sure we knew where the safety ropes were located. "In the unlikely case we do have a water landing today, the basket floats--or at least that's what they tell me," quipped Fuller, 41, a pilot for 15 years.
As we winded through town, Spruce Creek's brackish waters reflected the early light. It's a peaceful experience and in the quiet of the early morning, the sun beams gently on a city that's still just beginning to awaken.
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Floating at about 420 feet, I saw a black kitten running around near a gas station. Dogs barked from their yards and scampered under the cover of trees. Our flight even seemed to rattle the cattle, which also ran below us.
Ballooning is usually done in the early morning, when the wind is calmest. The pilots originally planned to launch from the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport, but due to a strong east wind, we moved west to a site on State Road 44.
We had hoped for an hour-long flight, but the wind carried us back to the airport in about 20 minutes. Had we gone any further, we could have ended up in the ocean.
I originally thought it would be a bit daring to hop in a basket and float above the town, but in the end it didn't seem so bold. Afterall, the balloon just floats with the wind, (which luckily cooperated for a safe ride).
| Balloonist's Prayer: "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 he has set you gently back again into the loving arms of Mother Earth." |
To experience it for yourself, New Smyrna Beach is having its first Seaside Balloon Festival this weekend at the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport, 124 Industrial Park Avenue (off U.S. 1) . According to a press release, the festival kicks off at 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 9, with music, food, festivities and a traditional "Balloon Glow."
The Glow starts after sunset when balloon pilots synchronize the flames of their burners to the beat of popular tunes. Arrive early and bring a blanket to watch the light show.
On Saturday about 20 hot air balloons will dot the dawn skies over New Smyrna Beach. The mass balloon ascension takes place between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., wind and weather permitting.
Guests are encouraged to arrive early as hot air balloons need the cool morning air to fly. Flights are available and offer passengers an eagle's view of Ponce Inlet, Turnbull Bay and the surrounding area.
Get up early, bring a blanket or dress in layers and get your camera ready for an explosion of color.
A limited number of Hot Air Balloon flights are available. Flights are about $175 per person. Depending on the weather, the ride will last about one hour. Tethered flights are also available.
For information or reservations, call 407-897-5432.
Flying High: Video from the 2008 Daytona Beach Hot Air Balloon Festival. Follow ten balloons as they fly to the Spruce Creek Fly-In.
I received this notice by chance. Too bad. I could have planned my weekend dirrerently.