July 11th, 2009--Part of the Crew

I had a chance to crew my first hot air balloon on July 11th. The idea of having a hobby that you actually need extra people for was interesting to me but Walter and his family were kind enough to invite me to see what it was all about. There is a very specific set of rules when launching a balloon it turns out. You need as many people as you can get to make sure that the balloon opens evenly and everything is attached correctly. It takes a little less than an hour to get the balloon in the air once you start the "motor" up.






The balloon starts on it's side and eventually someone has to get in the basket and pull or push hard to keep it in place as it tried to float away. The idea is to maintain the delicate balance to keep it on the ground until ready to lift off.





I did not have a chance to go up in the balloon this time but am very excited to try it before I leave!
The reason for passing on the balloon ride was that I started classroom work for my scuba class! Here you see the fabulous lifeguards who graciously agreed to let me be a part of their class and took me in for the trip.





Needless to say, I have been having an extremely interesting and eventful trip!