Yuma Sun reporter's first hot air ballon ride

I have watched the beautiful display of hot air balloons ascending into the early morning sunrise for years, and have often wondered what it would be like to be up there floating with the clouds.

Friday morning I finally got the chance to find out for myself. I got up before the sun peaked over the horizon and dressed snugly. I had been invited to come out to experience the first day of balloon flights during the 2009 Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival.

Needless to say, I was a little nervous. I haven't even been in an airplane for years, and I have a slight fear of heights, but there was no way I was going to miss out on such an exciting experience by chickening out.

I arrived at the field behind Gila Vista Junior High School and was directed to Pilot Eric Mueller's hot air balloon. I watched as his crew of friends and family unveiled the gigantic balloon (named "Boris") as the sun crept up the cloudless morning sky.

The crew used a couple of large industrial fans to direct air into the interior of the balloon. After the balloon was engorged, Mueller lit up the oversized gas burner and fed a flaming jet of fire inside to get the balloon off the ground and upright.

After that, I climbed into the basket with fellow hot air balloon first timers Judy Rodriguez and Kent Perkins. When we were all in the basket, Mueller turned up his oversized torch and we began to ascend quickly into the bright blue sky.

The take-off happened very swiftly. At first, I was gripping the hand hold on the basket with all my might, but then I relaxed as my attention was diverted by the astounding view.

I have lived in Yuma my whole life, but I have never seen the city with a birds' eye view. It puts everything into perspective, and I realized how small I am in a truly gigantic world.

The cars beneath drove on streets, and tiny humans went about their morning business in what seemed to be a model replica of Yuma. Even Friendship Tower looked like a fire hydrant from up there at 750 feet.

Surprisingly we couldn't feel any wind for the majority of the trip. Mueller explained that was because we were traveling with the wind.

As we floated peacefully on the breeze at about 15 mph, Mueller sparked up a pleasant conversation about the finer points of ballooning. He has been ballooning for 17 years, and knows his craft pretty well. I felt more at ease knowing the pilot was a man who knew what he was doing.

After 45 minutes of amazing views, we neared our landing site. Mueller again reiterated the proper landing procedure - hold the handle, put an arm around the bar and bend the knees upon impact. We were ready.

We picked up a little speed down closer to the ground, and the sandy Earth started getting closer and closer. Mueller told us it would be a rough landing, and he wasn't kidding. I didn't expect the sheer abruptness of the first impact, which rocked us all.

The basket hopped three times before skidding to a halt in the sandy area outside of Somerton. The entire basket nearly tipped over, but we were once more safe and sound on the ground.

I do carry with me a couple of battle scars now. On impact, my left fist smashed into the basket, causing my knuckles to bust and bleed. I wear those scars now proudly, as a token of my defeat of my fear of heights. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences in my life, and I'm glad I could do it.

If you ever get the chance to go up into the wild blue, take it. You won't regret it.

Mueller offers morning and afternoon champagne flights from his Phoenix-based company Our Great Escape. His number is 480-570-9055.

Check out the video of my ballooning adventure at yumasun.com.

Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.