Up, Up and Away

Fred reminded me of a song this morning. Up, Up and Away by the 5th Dimension.

Dave took us for a ride on the Apache Trail, a two lane mountain road very twisty and narrow with steep drop offs instead of guard rails. A road I'm certain Fred would have enjoyed driving himself. We followed the road for a few miles after the pavement ended but before it turned into a one lane road.

From there we stopped at famous Tortilla Flats just long enough to get a couple of funny pictures in the lady's room and for Fred to autograph a one dollar bill. Almost the entire interior walls of the tavern and restaurant are completely covered with these reverse souvenirs. We'll have to go back one of these days to find his investment.

The second highlight of the day was the hot air balloon ride.The chase van met us at Deer Valley Airport, taking eight of us to the launch site where we got to see the balloons inflated then hop into the gondola for a six mile float across the Arizona desert. The only surprising thing about the balloon ride was how HOT those propane flames are that heat the air inside the balloon when you're standing next to them!

We saw a group of wild burros, heard a coyote, gazed at a hot pink sunset, nibbled on gourmet treats and sipped champagne. Our pilot was very experienced - over 30 years flying - and knew enough not to land us on the high tension wires the state of Arizon just put in a month ago. We were all happy about that. The only issue any of us had was that the trip wasn't long enough.

Dinner at a fantastic New Mexico cuisine restaurant, the Blue Adobe, and home for some of Ann's great homemade cookies. This is why camping is so much fun. Oh, that's right, we stopped camping a couple of days ago. This is what's called the Good Life!