Getting Carried Away

Riding the Skies in A Hot Air Balloon

Sheridan, Wyoming

Written by Jean Petersen

Photography by Jean Petersen and Contributed by Cloud Peak Ballooning 

Fall Issue - 2026

The Big Horn Mountains stretched across the horizon as we floated above the countryside in a hot air balloon. We watched miles of winding creeks and roads become smaller and smaller as we rose, while the ranches and homes seemed to get closer together. The morning was so pristine and quiet that we could hear the honking of geese flying right below us and we were so close we could even hear the movement of their wings. 

A hot air balloon ride is something I have always dreamed about, and when the opportunity finally came, everything lined up perfectly to share the experience with three of my four children.  

The first thing I wondered was how in the world a hot air balloon could possibly fit inside a bumper-pull trailer the size of my three-quarter-ton truck bed. But that only lasted minutes, as we became part of the crew from the moment the trailer door opened and the wicker basket appeared.  

When I first heard the "whoosh" of the burner and the burst of flames blowing into the balloon, stretched across the grass, it startled me. However, I was quickly mesmerized as Cloud Peak Ballooning pilot Ginny Rieger methodically pulled the burner, sending heat into the massive fabric. Captivated, we held the lines taut as the balloon came alive, filling with brilliant colors as it expanded and lifted above our heads. Then we heard, "Alright, jump in!" 

The balloon’s ascent was lighter than air, with only the sound of the burner as we lifted effortlessly off the ground. Before I knew it, we were almost fifty feet in the air and the ground’s landscape was shrinking away. Heights make me a little nervous and I had a rush of slight panic when I realized there were only a few inches between the sturdy wicker basket holding the four of us and the ground. Ginny immediately eased that moment with her calm demeanor and contagious smile as she pointed out landmarks in the distance. 

Once we were in the air, I realized how incredibly quiet ballooning is. Every so often there is the roar of the burner pulsing its flame with a ‘whoosh’, into the balloon, followed by silence. We could feel the sun and subtle changes in the air. I expected it to be colder and much windier, but instead the air felt surprisingly soft and inviting to just float with it. 

Little things made it even more fun. We looked down and saw someone sitting on a back porch having morning coffee. We all waved from the basket, and called out, “Good morning!” They held up their coffee mug, with an unsaid ‘cheers’ and waved back as we floated overhead. Everyone in the basket was smiling, and one of my son’s laughingly said, “I bet they didn’t expect a hot air balloon to float over their heads for their morning coffee today.”  

From the beginning, Ginny welcomed us into a world she loves. To her, flying is more than a tourist attraction - it is a part of a beautiful lifestyle she has built since she began flying in 2014 in Riverton, Wyoming. Ginny holds a Lighter-than-Air pilot license with a balloon rating and has hundreds of hours of experience to team with it. Watching her work makes you realize how much knowledge and skill are behind something that feels so peaceful as a passenger.  

Her professionalism allowed us to enjoy ourselves as we took in a completely different perspective from the balloon’s vantage point. She explained everything she was doing, teaching us about the beauty of ballooning along the way. She consistently looked at the weather, cloud moments and wind pattern changes, sharing how she finds different currents to help determine where the balloon travels. 

Ginny introduced us to the camaraderie of the ballooning community that morning. Attending balloon rallies, she’s met friends who have carried her all over to see sights she might not have ever seen or visited, because the community encourages each other to come ‘fly’ with them in a new place. The beauty of it is one ballooning friend leads to another, and eventually, Ginny explained, you get to know people all over. It becomes a ballooning family. 

The history of ballooning dates to 1783, when French brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier publicly demonstrated a hot air balloon. Their initial flight in June, carried no passengers, but then in September, a sheep, duck and rooster were successfully launched from Versailles, and all three survived this historic flight. Only a few months later, on November 21, 1783, Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes made the first human hot air balloon flight from the outskirts of Paris. They flew only five and half miles for twenty-five minutes, but it was the first free flight, officially manned in aviation history.  

Ginny shared some colorful stories passed down through ballooning history, including tales of frightened or angry farmers confronting early balloonists when they unexpectedly landed in their fields. Early balloonists began carrying champagne as a gesture of goodwill to landowners when they landed on their property. More than two centuries later, the tradition remains part of ballooning culture. 

“I love being in the air. I love meeting new people. I love seeing sights,” Ginny said. “I love helping people get things checked off their bucket list.” 

Recently, she flew with an 86-year-old woman who had wanted to ride in a hot air balloon for nearly 50 years. “She was so excited,” Ginny said. “She loved every second of it.”  

Eventually every balloon that goes up must come down. As we descended, Ginny slowly paced our ride and we landed on a slight slope, giving us another opportunity to act as crew members. With her calm, guiding voice, she asked one of my sons to jump out, hold onto the balloon and walk it up the slope, while she continued to navigate the flame and stabilize our safe landing.  

The chase crew, who followed from the ground and tracked the balloon via an app and cell phones, made its way to us. The balloon deflated eloquently as it filled and came to rest across an open pasture. Ginny showed us how to lay out the balloon, gather the fabric, put it over our shoulders, and roll it up using the envelope squeezer which helps push more air out of the balloon while tightly rolling it. Finally, we packed up everything to stow back into the small trailer for the next adventure. 
 
Ballooning with Ginny was much more than just a chance to experience a beautiful view and the thrill of floating through the air, it was meeting a new friend who welcomed my family and me with open arms. The entire experience was filled with inspiration, exhilaration and peace wrapped into one awe-inspiring experience of a lifetime.