Bookings were made, indemnity forms were signed, and directions to take-off fields were obrtained etc.
Unfortunately however when the appointed day arrived, a check-up phone call the evening before resulted in the flight being canceled due to probable bad weather - and it was true, the weather didnt look great. So, we did other things that day and set about rebooking the baloon flight for another date.
However, apparently the balloning is quite popular since we were unable to make another booking for a couple of months. So we did that and waited patiently for the date to arrive.
But we were foiled again and on the appointed day, again the weather was not the best and the flight was canceled... Back to make another booking...
But the season had ended and we could not make another booking that year... We had no choice but to make a booking for early in the next season - about seven months away...
The Winter passed and Spring commenced but fate was not ready to play along yet, and my Job ended suddenly! So, then my plans all changed and I was off to climb mountains in Pakistan.
Christine and I planned around this and made a booking for after I returned from mountaineering but before I went away on my motorbike tour...
This time, things were looking great we had a good spell of fine weather, and hopes were high...
BUT, Just a few days before the flight there was a very unfortunate incident with another ballon flight where the fully loaded baloon was about to take off and some how it caught fire!
Most of the people managed to jump clear of the baloon but two did not and they were carried high into the air in the basket as the unloaded and flaming baloon shot into the sky before colapsing and crashing back to earth - tragically, both the remaining occupants perished!
This very sad incident was of course all over the local news media and the balooning company decided to close down all flights for a couple of weeks out of respect for those affected...
So then I was off on my year long odysey riding to Ecuador and back. Again Christine and I planned around this and a booking was made for when I returned in August (a very good time of year in Vancouver).
Again the fatefull day approached and the weather looked great but the phone call the evening before said the flight was cancelled due to "upper level wind sheer" which means that just because it looks OK doesnt mean it is... Foiled again!!!
So yet another booking was made and again it was the last for the season, so we didnt really have much hope ... but what can ya do?
But lo! The weather was fine and the phone call was made and the flight was still on...
So last weekend on Sunday morning at 7am in the early light Christine and I found our selves with big wooly coats standing in long wet grass in a field next to a large cane basket and a pile of fabric being rolled out....
:)))
