balloon

UP, UP, AND AWAY!

It's Time
To Stand
United
America

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MY BALLOON RIDE

This balloon ride was given to me as a birthday gift by Rene' Bausdorf, a very fine young man from Berlin Germany. Rene' came to America in September of 1998 and spent the school year with me in my home. He is a very respectful young man, and I grew to love him like a son while he stayed with me.
I so much enjoyed the flight and shared with the pilot about Rene' and how nice it was for me to have had him in my home. One day I saw the balloon you see here, land close to my house and went to see the crew take the balloon down and put it in the bag after the flight. I also asked them for a card about their balloon rides. I had the card laying on the table and Rene' found it and without my knowledge had the youth pastor at my church order the flight for me.
On my birthday Rene' came in with a mylar balloon for me wishing me a Happy Birthday, and tied to the balloon was a card stating that I could take a hot air balloon flight.
The flight lasted for 1 hour and we flew over the Mesilla Valley in Las Cruces, NM. We flew southeast over pecan orchards and over the Rio Grande River. It was a beautiful flight. We came down in a very desert area, and as we landed the crew was waiting for us. They had to direct the balloon up a dirt road for about 500 feet to a nice area where the balloon could be stowed in it's bag.
The name of the pilot was Bob Haynes so I was on the Hale Bob balloon.
My sincere thanks to Rene' for a most delightful flight.