May 23, 2009
June 13, 2009 Back to Index May 16, 2009
This morning's flight from Waterloo was a delayed birthday present to Sandi from Mark.
We'd waited on weather for a couple of months before the day finally arrived.
As the sun rose, so did we.
With Rich in Euphoria beside us, we headed north to seek out the Elkhorn river's course.
Rick and Sheri, Stephanie and Scott stopped along the Elk City road to watch us.
They had a much better view of the turkeys; from the balloon, we could only hear them call.
This is a historic valley in Nebraska aviation. The plaque commemorates
the first airplane flight by a Nebraskan on November 21, 1910. You can just
see Dreamtime in the background at top right.
A friend of Robert Adwers, who was responsible for the creation of the monument, drove by and presented our
crew with copies of Adwers' book, Rudder, Stick and Throttle, chronicling the history of Nebraska aviation.
We begin heading up out of the river valley as Rich's balloon peeks above the tree tops.
Those developing cumulus clouds caused the winds to pick up for a few moments, drawing us back to the south.
Time to look for a place to land.
With crops in the fields, we brought the balloon in next to the road just south of Elk City.
A toast to Sandi and Mark, and wishes for a happy, extended birthday!
And if you're ever in Elk City, be sure to check out the scenic "throne"
behind the Ponderosa Bar.
June 13, 2009 Back to Index May 16, 2009