Hot Air Balloon Ride

We spent one of our first days in Colorado on a high note (pun intended), and I have now marked off my childhood dream of riding in a hot air balloon!  It was so peaceful and relaxing.  I asked the pilot of our ride if he got many marriage proposals in the air.  He told the story of one man who proposed to his girlfriend, and she answered with a “no.”  Needless to say, the rest of that flight was just awkward for everyone in the basket.  He said that EXACT man came back 3 months later and proposed to a different girl.  Whaaat?!!  I guess he was bound and determined to get engaged in a hot air balloon!  We had one other mom and her daughter, who was turning 5 years old that day, ride with us.  The company Rainbow Ryders let Cody and Anna help with the inflation process and then let Dylan and Abigail help out during the flight.  The kids enjoyed watching little prairie dogs scurry into their holes in the ground as our balloon floated in for landing.  After we landed they set out a table with breakfast foods and drinks for us to enjoy a celebratory breakfast.  On our shuttle back to our cars I snapped a photo of Dylan fast asleep on my arm.  These early sunrise flights are exhausting!  We had to leave by 4:00 in the morning to reach our destination at 5:00.  Also, I have included a photo that our driver shot a couple weeks before we arrived.  He was snapping a photo of the balloon taking off when he noticed an eagle flying towards him.  He couldn’t believe the awesome shot he got!  Once in a lifetime experience!