Comments on: Read about our recent flights! http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/ Hot air balloon rides and information on ballooning Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:09:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Tim http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/comment-page-1/#comment-3190 Tim Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:00:54 +0000 http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/#comment-3190 Howdy folks. We have been very busy and flying nearly every day for weeks now and seem to have neglected keeping with with our online log. Well, We are back! Yesterdays flight was a proposal and the total flight time was just over an hour with a landing in between lots of trees right on a beach. What a great way ending for the day. These are the kinds of flights we enjoy the most. Hot air ballooning does not get any better than today. Today we did a wedding in the balloon! There was very little wind aloft today and one of our passengers did not want to fly "up high" so they were content with an hour long hover over the South end of the valley. We feel honored to have been chosen to provide the environment for such a unique way to remember their "Special" Day. We love what we do! While it may have been legally flyable it was not pretty. A hot air balloon ride is supposed to be pretty! Despite a few disappointed passengers we would rather reschedule people than ruin what should be a great experience. Howdy folks. We have been very busy and flying nearly every day for weeks now and seem to have neglected keeping with with our online log. Well, We are back!

Yesterdays flight was a proposal and the total flight time was just over an hour with a landing in between lots of trees right on a beach. What a great way ending for the day. These are the kinds of flights we enjoy the most. Hot air ballooning does not get any better than today.

Today we did a wedding in the balloon! There was very little wind aloft today and one of our passengers did not want to fly “up high” so they were content with an hour long hover over the South end of the valley.

We feel honored to have been chosen to provide the environment for such a unique way to remember their “Special” Day. We love what we do!

While it may have been legally flyable it was not pretty. A hot air balloon ride is supposed to be pretty! Despite a few disappointed passengers we would rather reschedule people than ruin what should be a great experience.

]]> By: Tim http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/comment-page-1/#comment-3155 Tim Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:53:31 +0000 http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/#comment-3155 Today was some of the best fun we have had yet this year. The winds were brisk at nearly 13mph. We flew five miles down the Valley and landed near Cronin Ranch. Due to the winds picking up we decided to slow the balloon down by dragging it through some tree tops. Our passengers thought it was a great balloon adventure and seemed to throughly enjoy the experience. We also made a new friend in our landing spot. He was a very friendly landowner and invited us back anytime. Seems things get a little quiet in Coloma and having a hot air balloon land in your yard makes for great conversation. We love what we do. Days like today are why we chose to open this area to ballooning. Great views, exciting landings and friendly people. Today was some of the best fun we have had yet this year. The winds were brisk at nearly 13mph. We flew five miles down the Valley and landed near Cronin Ranch. Due to the winds picking up we decided to slow the balloon down by dragging it through some tree tops. Our passengers thought it was a great balloon adventure and seemed to throughly enjoy the experience.

We also made a new friend in our landing spot. He was a very friendly landowner and invited us back anytime. Seems things get a little quiet in Coloma and having a hot air balloon land in your yard makes for great conversation.

We love what we do. Days like today are why we chose to open this area to ballooning. Great views, exciting landings and friendly people.

]]> By: Tim http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/comment-page-1/#comment-3154 Tim Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:47:45 +0000 http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/#comment-3154 This is a late entry for Monday the 7th. We had a great morning above the Valley. The winds were gentle and very kind to us and we got a nice view of the Marshal Gold Discovery State Park. Not our longest flight in the American River Valley as we landed close to where we took off. Great folks on board all family. This is a late entry for Monday the 7th. We had a great morning above the Valley. The winds were gentle and very kind to us and we got a nice view of the Marshal Gold Discovery State Park. Not our longest flight in the American River Valley as we landed close to where we took off.

Great folks on board all family.

]]> By: Tim Nelson http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/comment-page-1/#comment-2874 Tim Nelson Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:39:10 +0000 http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/#comment-2874 We had weather cancel both days this weekend. Although Sunday was a gorgeous day for a hot air balloon ride it was to windy to do safely. We hate having to cancel a balloon ride. It was a special birthday flight for a boy and although we hated to disappoint him we wont take a chance. If a balloon ride has the possibility of not being safe that day we simply don't take a chance. We have rescheduled for next weekend and we are booked both days. Now if the weather cooperates we will be above the American River in Coloma all weekend! We had weather cancel both days this weekend. Although Sunday was a gorgeous day for a hot air balloon ride it was to windy to do safely.

We hate having to cancel a balloon ride. It was a special birthday flight for a boy and although we hated to disappoint him we wont take a chance. If a balloon ride has the possibility of not being safe that day we simply don’t take a chance.

We have rescheduled for next weekend and we are booked both days. Now if the weather cooperates we will be above the American River in Coloma all weekend!

]]> By: Judy http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/comment-page-1/#comment-2779 Judy Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:45:29 +0000 http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/#comment-2779 I was on this flight and I enjoyed this experience. This was my first hot air balloon ride and I would recommend it to anyone who would love to see the world from a different view. The crew was fantastic and very friendly. If you want to do this they are the great!!! I am hoping to do this again with some of my friends. Thanks again you guys for your great customer sevice!! Judy I was on this flight and I enjoyed this experience. This was my first hot air balloon ride and I would recommend it to anyone who would love to see the world from a different view. The crew was fantastic and very friendly. If you want to do this they are the great!!! I am hoping to do this again with some of my friends.

Thanks again you guys for your great customer
sevice!!

Judy

]]> By: Tim http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/comment-page-1/#comment-2760 Tim Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:34:34 +0000 http://www.skydrifters.com/2008/03/11/read-about-our-recent-flights/#comment-2760 This is a late entry to the flight last Saturday. Great day! We started out with three passengers about fifteen minutes after sunrise. The morning was crisp but quickly warmed to t-shirt weather in the basket. We took the balloon up through the Katabatic layer (this is where the winds run down the Sierra's slopes in the evenings and early mornings) and got to a little over 4,500ft with less than a 2mph wind. The views of the surrounding wilderness and Folsom Lake were stunning. We dropped back down after a while and tracked up the American River Valley to Camp Lotus and landed right on the beach. The campground is open and we created quite a bit of excitement for the campers. Camp Lotus welcomed us back anytime as they thought the landing on the river was quite the tourist attraction. Our passengers throughly enjoyed the hour and a half long flight. There are many different places to fly hot air balloons in Northern California. Napa Valley, Sonora, Temecula but there are few places that can compare to the joy of flying here in Gold Country. We feel quite fortunate being the only balloon company offering hot air balloon rides in this part of California. This is a late entry to the flight last Saturday.
Great day! We started out with three passengers about fifteen minutes after sunrise. The morning was crisp but quickly warmed to t-shirt weather in the basket.

We took the balloon up through the Katabatic layer (this is where the winds run down the Sierra’s slopes in the evenings and early mornings) and got to a little over 4,500ft with less than a 2mph wind. The views of the surrounding wilderness and Folsom Lake were stunning.

We dropped back down after a while and tracked up the American River Valley to Camp Lotus and landed right on the beach. The campground is open and we created quite a bit of excitement for the campers.

Camp Lotus welcomed us back anytime as they thought the landing on the river was quite the tourist attraction. Our passengers throughly enjoyed the hour and a half long flight.

There are many different places to fly hot air balloons in Northern California. Napa Valley, Sonora, Temecula but there are few places that can compare to the joy of flying here in Gold Country.

We feel quite fortunate being the only balloon company offering hot air balloon rides in this part of California.

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