Hot Air Balloon Ride in Boulder, CO

[MarkBarbieri]

On the morning of Fourth of July this year, we went on a hot air balloon ride over Boulder, Colorado. I took my wife, two sons, and my father. My mother isn't comfortable with heights, so she declined.

We used Fair Winds Hot Air Balloon Rides and they were absolutely wonderful. They were very accommodating of my over-top photographic needs including letting me clip a camera to the top of the basket and letting me bring my fairly large camera bag with me.

Our balloon was huge. It had a basket that carried a dozen people. We shared the basket with another family. The ride itself was wonderful. We took off with many other balloons, which made the view even more interesting.

The only problem we had on the trip was the landing. On a typical day, it is windy up high but calmer near the ground. We had the opposite issue on our trip. The winds where we landed were fairly strong, so our landing was unusually rough. Everyone walked away OK, but my youngest son had a bit of a black eye from it the next day.

You can see an 8 minute video of our trip here. You can see a bunch of pictures here. We shot everything with a pair of GoPros (one mounted on the top of the basket and one on my head), a 5D and a 7D. We used a 15mm fisheye, 17-40mm, 24-105mm, and 70-200mm. I think every lens got a pretty good workout.

Here are some shots that I liked:

That's me, looking as cool as a person can at 6:00 AM with a camera strapped to his head.

That's my wife, my son's (covering their ears because the burner was loud), my father, and standing on the ground is my mother. You can also see the mounted GoPro on the upper left side of the picture. It isn't really in the guy's hand, that's just a coincidental juxtaposition.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Awesome shots!




ps. I noticed the semi~ has pulled in. You'll be out of retirement before you know it.

 

[JoeDif]

Awesome series!! That's something I've always wanted to do

 

[Frantasmic]

Great shots and it looks so peaceful up there.

Love the first one with the crew person against the canvas.

You did a helicoptor ride last year. Did you enjoy the helicoptor or the hot air balloon ride more?

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Nice work, Mark!! A great series of photos!!

#1 and #11 are my favorites!! The back-lit balloon colors are so rich and vibrant in #1, and the mountains in the background of #11 are gorgeous!

Isn't hot air ballooning fun? My DW and I can't wait to do it again!!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Great shots and it looks so peaceful up there.

Love the first one with the crew person against the canvas.

You did a helicoptor ride last year. Did you enjoy the helicoptor or the hot air balloon ride more?

That's hard to say. The seem similar because they both involve flying at relatively low speeds. They feel completely different. The helicopter is much more controlled. You can quickly go where you want and to what altitude you want and can hover in a spot. With the balloon, your just sort of wandering at the mercy of the wind. The chopper is so loud that you wear a headset the entire time and talk to the people next to you by radio. You are also strapped into a seat looking out through windows. With the balloon, it is very loud when the burner is on (which is frequent) and then dead quiet at other times. Instead of being in a seat, you are standing out in the open.

Honestly, I loved both experiences, but they are hard to compare. It's a bit like asking whether someone preferred Expedition Everest or the Festival of the Lion King. They are both extremely enjoyable in their own way. Which I'd prefer to do would depend a lot on where I am. If I was someplace where I'd want to go see specific things (flying around looking at volcanoes, canyons, and waterfalls in Hawaii), I'd prefer the chopper. If I wanted a morning to just bask in the environment of my locale, I'd prefer the balloon.

One other factor that might influence people is that most ballooning is done early in the morning with people arriving well before sunrise. I wake at about 4:30 every morning without an alarm clock, so that wasn't a big deal to me. For many others, it would be a complete deal breaker.

Nice work, Mark!! A great series of photos!!

#1 and #11 are my favorites!! The back-lit balloon colors are so rich and vibrant in #1, and the mountains in the background of #11 are gorgeous!

Isn't hot air ballooning fun? My DW and I can't wait to do it again!!

It was a lot of fun. It was also a lot of money. I'll probably wait until my kids are grown and gone before I do it again so that I can buy only 2 tickets instead of 4 (5 if you include my father). I've taken week-long vacations for what it cost me for that hour and a half balloon ride. I don't regret spending the money, but the value drops with each subsequent flight because the novelty wears off.

 

[WDWFigment]

Those shots are incredible. The forehead camera is a good look for you. You should consider accessorizing with it more often. Perhaps wear it to the office.

 

[scoolover]

Here are a few I have taken over the years. Wish I had my good ones on this computer. Mark - you need to hit up a rally. More balloons make for great pictures.

 

[photo_chick]

You're totally rocking that Gopro. Awesome shots.