You think you understand going up in a balloon is a big deal and something really cool to do. But when you're standing there watching your child rising up up and away and you see feel hear and smell the scope of the situation and you register that all the folks gathered around who do this weekly are definitely jazzed and super excited, STILL, about sending up a balloon, you understand its all bigger than you thought. It is a thrilling thing to do.

After us balloon chasers on the ground safely gathered our balloonists and the repacked the balloon and gondola in the trailer, we all returned to the launching site. There any first timers are initiated officially with a ceremony and a prayer. And a tailgating party of balloonists and their crews from all the landings celebrate together. In the car on the way back to the launch site I said that Dear Girl and her Dad are now balloonists and I wondered what balloonists are called--if there is some special name they give themselves. After a momentary pause Dear Girl pipped up from the back seat, "Badass! We're called badass."

Retelling that story at the tailgating party to all the big gruff salty old balloon men made them laugh a long time. Our pilot, Mike Garcia, said balloonists are just called balloonists mostly, but also they are called trespassers because they land everywhere. Which I think is kind of poignant.

Two videos from our day. The first is the Lift Off. The second is The Ballonist's Prayer and Initiation.

'As I went walking I saw a sign there

And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."

But on the other side it didn't say nothing

That side was made for you and me.' 

~Woody Guthrie