10-10, My Flight (6 of 12)

As if all of this wasn't amazing enough, that first morning, while I was watching the hum of activity, I was presented with an invitation to go for a ride.  I was surprised (ok, and a little scared!) at this wondrous opportunity.  I was also completely honored.  Without much forethought or advanced notice, I was soon listening to the pilot's directions and climbing into the basket.  All the while I kept thinking, "Huh.  This was an unexpected turn of events!"  I wasn't sure which would get me first-- my fear of heights or claustrophobia (the space in that basket is quite small once you add four people).   However, my balloon mate's words rang true:  once you're up past a certain height, your brain doesn't think like that anymore.  The entire flight was incredible-- it was peaceful, beautiful and mesmerizing.  With the lack of extra space in the basket, I was forced to choose between my wide angle and zoom lens.  I opted for the zoom, missing out on some of the grander panoramic views.  However, with the ability to zoom in everything appeared so much closer and bigger.  I'm only including a few of my flight photos on this post, the others can be seen throughout the other posts about the balloon fiesta.  Thank you so very much to my pilot for the invitation to ride with him and for giving me this wonderful memory that I will always cherish!!

What is that expression I have?  Fear?  Excitement?  Joy?

Our crew below as we ascend to the sky.

This photo was taken by another balloon mate..........

.....here is the comparison of the same scene with my 70-200mm zoom.
Quite a difference in perspective, don't you think?

Selfies in the sky.  How awesome is that?  Thank you for sharing this photo with me, Mario!

It looks like we're literally right on top of them, doesn't it?

Chatting with the residents below was an amusing experience as we flew overhead.

The shadow of our balloon as we began our descent.

Our landing park.  I had to squeeze in a peak to see where we were going to land. 

The wonderful people I flew with.  Thank you for sharing this first with me!