CARTI Flight Foggy Morning

CARTI is a cancer treatment center that is very prominent in Little Rock. Last year, I promised a flight in the balloon that they could auction at their big holiday fundraising event. After several months, it finally worked out for me to fly the buyer of the ride!
Dawn-Marie actually bought the ride for her mom, who was battling cancer at the time, and who loved balloons. Unfortunately, her health didn't allow her to take the flight, and she passed away. So, Dawn-Marie flew with me to honor her mother's memory.

We met Dawn-Marie and her husband, Jason as well as David and his passengers (two balloons are better than one) on the westside of Little Rock an hour before sunrise (love the long days of June, but HATE the early mornings! A pibal went up, and we headed south to find a launch site.

We had to slow down fast inflations so we wouldn't beat the sun into the sky, but once the sun rose, we headed off into the wild blue yonder. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that the wild blue yonder was being covered by white fog. To our north (the direction we we were heading) was a thick blanket of fog. David and I discussed trying to fly over it, but decided to drop down to steer clear.

Fortunately, at lower elevations, the winds took us to the southwest and away from the heaviest fog. Unfortunately, landing spots are few and far between in that country. David and I both played on the treetops, and generally had fun flying. David even performed a splash and dash.

As the morning went on, I expected the fog to burn off. Instead, it became thicker and it spread our way. We found fields in which to land, and got on the ground.

My landing was pretty gentle, but it wasn't the first place you'd want to park your balloon. It was in a big pasture that was pretty overgrown. Dawn-Marie and I deflated the balloon and hiked (we were lucky to find our way to the landowner's house) out of the field. We called our crew and let them know where to find us. Then we rode back to the balloon and packed it up.

While Jill and Jason were looking for us, they happened down a dead end road. As they were attempting to back out, they were yelled at by a local resident who didn't want anyone driving on his public road. Not sure where he wanted to go so badly (half dressed) at 7:30 on a Sunday morning, but he was very angry that his street was partially blocked.

I was much luckier in that the owner of the field I landed in was VERY friendly and accommodating, allowing us to drive right in to the balloon. I'm sorry the chasers had to deal with a turkey, and I'm very grateful for their hard work and early "roll out" so I could fly!