An experience of a lifetime! We arrived at the meetup and were seated in some vans to drive around and check the wind at various locations. This took close to an hr as the crew is well trained and will only fly in the perfect conditions (less than 10mph, 0 precipitation etc.) When we found a good stop, we helped roll out the balloon, watched it inflate, and got to go inside (see the pic!). The basket was made for roughly 20 people (largest balloon in North America we learned), and so we had our own little section of the balloon. Don't be afraid of the burners as there is a shield.
We went up around 1000-3000ft. Randy, our pilot, has been in the business for 30 years. He had some great stories to share while we flew. Winds were low and changing, we didn't go far. We landed, helped pack of the balloon, and had the ritual "balloonist's champagne toast" right there in the desert. Breakfast was on fold out picnic tables where we landed, and it was really quite good for being in the middle of nowhere (quiche that was kept warm, sausages and pastry). Champagne or orange juice. Or both ;) After breakfast, souvenirs were laid out on the ground to check out. We got an adorable Christmas ornament made by a local artist (of course it had a balloon on it.)
We were then shuttled via van back to reality and sent on our way.
Genuine crew. Awesome learning experience. Great champe, Highly recommend.