Check in’s at 5:30 a.m., followed by a quick drive to the launch site, where the action is already buzzing
“Today’s my husband’s birthday, so I thought that I would surprise him,” said Sonia Fong-Louissaint.
“First of all, it was a surprise,” said husband Joe Louissaint. “Obviously it’s an experience that has been on my bucket list for quite some time.”
Rainbow Ryders is gearing up for a morning hot air balloon ride near Lake Pleasant north of Phoenix, Ariz.
“How it works is we burn propane gas, which we have tanks in here, which heats the air inside the envelope, creating it less dense, and gives us lift,” said Jesse Rohalt, a hot-air balloon pilot with Rainbow Ryders.
With an extra shot of propane into the “envelope”, the balloon takes off into the clear morning.
Rainbow Ryders is a commercial hot air balloon ride company providing scenic hot air balloon rides daily.
“This is what I call a psychological spa,” said Rohalt.
For today’s group of strangers, standing close together in the basket, a smooth landing and an experience of a lifetime for the newly found friends in the basket.
“Sensational. The word “awesome” I hear it used often. It truly applies,” said Dotty Duplantier after her first hot air balloon ride.
“I always thought it would be very bumpy, very unsafe, but it was just the opposite. Very smooth, very safe,” said Fong-Louissaint.
“It was awesome. Truly, truly awesome. I would do it again in a heartbeat,” said birthday boy Louissaint.
