A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go on a hot air balloon ride, after winning the chance in a drawing at a company picnic. It was scheduled for a Saturday morning in mid September. There were 10 of us and it was the first for everyone. We met at the designated takeoff spot about 6:00 am. It was quite chilly that morning with a bit of frost on the ground. We waited in anticipation as the balloon crew readied our transportation. I remember, as we stood watching the crew, how we all were shivering. I don't know if it was the cool air or the anticipation of what was to come. Well the Ballon was ready and then the pilot said we needed to draw straws to see who would be going first. There were 5 short and 5 long straws. I was a bit disappointed to have a short one, which meant I would have to wait for my chance. However I learned I was to have an extra treat when my chance came.

We watched as the first crew took flight and then we hopped in the vehicles and followed their trail. It was exciting to watch them enjoying themselves. After about an hour and 30 miles later they landed and we were eager to have our turn. The flight crew readied the balloon and we were soon on our way. By now the sun had warmed things up and it turned out to be a very pleasant day. I was in heaven, it was pure bliss as we floated and let the air currant take us with her. I had seen this area many times while driving but it was the different view of things that made it much more appreciatable. I took a lot of pictures, the views were fantastic. We were approaching the "river" and everyone thought we were just going to soar right past it. Little did we know that our pilot had other ideas. We were unaware that he was planning to skim the water and kind of bounce off it and soar upward. He misjudged that "river" and it started to take us down. At one point I looked at our feet and saw we were standing in about a foot and a half of water before the pilot got the balloon to becon his commands. As we soared upward I got some shots of the water dripping out of the basket. Whew, talk about a rush, LOL. It wasn't too funny at the time but after we were in the air again we were all laughing about the experience we just had and agreed we got the better ride of the day.

 The serenity I felt while being in that balloon still has me in awe, as I have never felt so warm and peacefull as I did while in the balloon, just floating like a feather.

The "river' I mention is called the Susquehanna River. is located in eastern Pennsyvania , and runs through the State Capitol of Harrisburg.