At the beginning of this year, when I was blissfully unaware of what 2020 had in store, I drafted my original 30 by 30 list. Some of my goals were lofty, but not necessarily unattainable. At least, not until COVID came a' knockin.
Admittedly, I really lost my mojo once the lockdowns began. Many of the items I was most excited to check off my list were struck through in big red Coronavirus ink: 1. Start my dream job (offered in March, rescinded indefinitely), 2. Travel to another country, 3. Skydive (could maybe do now, but couldn't for most of the year) 4. Adopt a dog, etc.
Therefore, in true 2020 fashion, I technically only checked off 28/30 gratitude moments by my actual 30th birthday. The day after my bday, my friend Amber and I checked off #29- Ride in a hot air balloon. Both of us are thrill seekers so I knew if I could get her to Arizona, she would be onboard, literally. Luckily, Amber is an incredible friend and she was totally willing to make the flight from Oklahoma to join me in celebrating my big 3-0.
Prior to take off, we watched as the crew inflated the balloons. People were even pulling off the highway just to spectate with us. The balloons themselves reminded me of the giant multi-colored parachutes we played with in
elementary school, only much larger.
The baskets were divided into eight passenger quadrants (two people per space) and one long condutor/fuel quadrant. Once we were all in, we unceremoniously untethered and lurched once before slowly ascending.
The ride was smooth and seamless. Before we knew it were more than 4,000 ft up. Ours was one of about eight balloons that flying in the area that afternoon. We were ascending and descending much faster than our bodies really registered (600+ft a second), except for the popping of our ears.
Unexpected Moments in the Air
How much heat the balloon put off
How windless it was overall
How gentle and tranquil the ride was
How safe I felt
How little distance we actually covered in relation to our landscape
At the end of our ride, after a mostly fool-proof landing (see video below), the flight crew set up a table complete with tablecloth and candles and we toasted champagne as the sun began to set. We were in the middle of the desert, 8 people who had all mostly just met, enjoying horderves and one another's company...it was magical. Big thanks to Hot Air Expeditions for the safe and memorable experience and to my love Amber for being my ride or die, again literally.
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