Wow! What a beautiful morning!

Jill and I set out to meet our passenger and crew at the "usual location." We launched a pibal, and even though the winds were different than forecast, our original launch site was a good option, so off to the soccer fields on Cantrell we went.

After a smooth inflation, my passenger Sabrina and I were off. The winds down low started to take us East, towards town. That was a bad direction for us, but we knew from the test balloon that with just a little more altitude, we'd turn to the west. That's exactly what happened, and soon we were flying right along Highway 10.

As soon as we were at altitude, and we could look around, we saw some beautiful scenery! The river was completely blanketed in a thick layer of fog. The fog was contained by the ridge that runs along the south side of the river.

We stayed high for about 20 minutes, then dropped down to steer ourselves along the highway. We kept working the winds toward some good landing options, and I thought I had just the right area, but the winds just wouldn't help me get in to them, and there were some obstacles (power lines, livestock, restaurants), so I decided to fly on.

We continued over a construction area that looked too muddy for a decent packup, then I saw a small yard surrounded by trees. Beyond that yard looked like a neighborhood with lots of open areas. I thought I'd head for the neighborhood, but the winds were so calm at that point, I knew I could ease into the small yard.

The chase crew watched me clear the road in front of the landing spot. When they saw me vent to drop in, they got out of the car and watched the gentlest landing a balloon can have. I guess if I can have witnesses for my hard landings, it's good to have witnesses for the really good ones, too!

The landowner was away at church, but the gate was unlocked, so we backed the trailer in a little ways for an easy packup. We shared a quick toast in the road, just in time for the landowner to arrive home from church. We asked her permission retroactively, to pack up in her yard. Her only regret was that she wasn't there to see the balloon before it was back in the trailer!

A great morning for a really pretty flight!