The Hot Air Balloon adventure began when I had the opportunity to visit Theresa in Tucson in June of 2006 while I was in the area, attending a technology conference in Las Vegas. I had entertained visions of asking Theresa to join me in the wild blue yonder, knowing that she always up for an adventure.

Ginger the giraffe, T's constant companion on a multitude of adventures had also never been hot air ballooning and so was able to join us in the adventure. I have had the pleasure of Ginger's companionship before on canoeing and motorcycle rides in Virginia (but that's another story…).

We drove to Phoenix the night before our early Sunday morning balloon launch and enjoyed the ambiance of a wonderful seafood restaurant with a live band, cocktails and sunset over the desert and a great meal before getting some rest for the early morning.

At 0415 it was an early start for what promised to be a beautiful day. We met the balloon crews at the Deer Valley Airport and drove to a launch point north of the airport in the desert.

The balloon flight took us where the winds blew and we landed an hour after takeoff in the desert where the balloon chase crew had advanced to and setup a champagne breakfast with strawberries, chocolate and a toast to the balloonist's prayer.