May 25 - Balloon ride and up to Taos

Winds died down and they picked us up at 5am for our balloon ride. It had to be one of the coolest things we have ever done; other than the propane tanks burning and the occasional comment from the pilot or the other couple on the flight, it was very quiet throughout the 6:45 to 8am flight. We were up about 1000 feet and down brushing the pinon trees. We took both still and movie pictures, and two of the movies were like the To Fly movie that used to show at Air and Space Museum, where you come up to a cliff edge and suddenly everything drops away. In one of the pictures posted here, you can see the shadow of the basket and the people in it.

We then packed up and drove the high road to Taos. It was pretty. Got there midafternoon, and winds were about 30 mph. Had to be very careful setting up the Aliner so that it did not blow the two top halves of the A apart; that would have ended the trip. The winds tend to die down in the early evening (as they are now while I type this). Went food shopping and drove to the Rio Grande Gorge about 5 miles down the road. Quite impressive, but got no pictures; was all in shadow by the time we got there.