Page 149 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL WINTER 2024 SCOTLAND

cross the land below, then firing up his
burners to fly higher. The other balloon
was below us to the West and descending
to land. Balloons move with the wind and
we were now over some rocky areas as we
neared the river and could not land. So, we
had a new adventure, crossing the river
and waiting for the pilot to find a safe
place to land. He saw a flat field ahead,
started our descent, and warned us to be
ready for three of our four bumps as we hit
the ground and be dragged forward until
the hot air was gone, the balloon deflated,
and our gondola back on its side so we
could disembark, which we did with the
lower row of eight getting out first.
Some clambered-on top of the gondola
side to see the surroundings and try to get
cell service. The pilot pulled cushions out
so others could sit on the grass. We could
see the ground crews on the other side of

WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM 149