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Airborne at Sunrise
A floating adventure with A&A Balloon Rides STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARSHALL HUDSON
Z
ero-dark-thirty and I’m up and headed south on Interstate 93. Despite the early hour, traffic is busy and reckless drivers are flying past me and tailgating shamelessly even though I’m doing the speed limit. I’ve survived a couple of harrowing close calls by the time I pull into Salem for today’s adventure. It’s 5 a.m. and dark in the parking lot when I meet pilot Andre Boucher and the ground crew from A&A Balloon Rides. Our plan is to be airborne at dawn for a sunrise balloon flight. After a head count and safety briefing, passengers and crew pile into a van towing a trailer stuffed with balloon and head to the launch field. At the site, the crew starts unpacking while passengers stand around wondering if it’s too late to back out. Eager to be doing something,
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I jump in when the ground crew asks for some volunteer muscle to assist with setup. We unfold the balloon and position a fan to blow air into it. We unload a wicker gondola basket, mount a burner on top of it, and hook up a propane fuel tank. Andre test-fires the burners and shoots a fire-breathing-dragon-flame up into the air. The balloon is attached to the gondola and nervous passengers, still trying to look unconcerned, climb into the gondola. Andre opens the valve and flames shoot up, sending hot air into the balloon. The ground crew waves goodbye, releases the tether lines, and get smaller and smaller as we break the bond with gravity. With the first crimson light of dawn creeping over the horizon, we pop out above the treetops. The mood in the gondola is holding-yourbreath-quiet but exuberant. The views
Hot-air balloons reflect in the morning light on the Arlington Mill Reservoir in Salem.
are exhilarating as we look down upon woods, ponds, streets, rooftops, backyard swimming pools and mountains off in the distance. Drifting over Arlington Mill Reservoir, the balloon in front of us does a “splash and dash,” gently touching down on the surface of the water before powering up and floating over the treetops. The pilot can control the altitude of the balloon by adding or eliminating heat from the burner. The warmer the air in the balloon the higher we rise, and cooling off brings us back down again. We yo-yo along at heights varying between 500 and 2,000 feet above the ground. A joke is told about a passenger who was asked, “How was your balloon ride?” and he answers, “It had its ups and downs.” The pilot can’t control the speed at which we travel, that is determined by how fast the wind is blowing. If wind speeds are anticipated to be above 5 mph or if there is a chance of rain, fog or snow, the balloon doesn’t launch.
