{"id":1186,"date":"2010-07-05T07:42:11","date_gmt":"2010-07-05T12:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.keegan.org\/reprapblog\/?p=1186"},"modified":"2010-07-05T07:42:11","modified_gmt":"2010-07-05T12:42:11","slug":"woke-up-and-chased-a-hot-air-balloon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.keegan.org\/reprapblog\/archives\/1186","title":{"rendered":"Woke up and chased a hot air balloon!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ok, this has nothing to do with RepRap.\u00a0 But read on.<\/p>\n

I wake up to Laurie exclaiming “Wake up! Look outside the window!!!”. There, practically filling the entire sky, is a huge yellow hot air balloon!!!<\/p>\n

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The morning started with this picture. Can you see it?<\/p><\/div>\n

I ran outside..<\/p>\n

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So then I ran back inside, grabbed my Segway keys, hopped on the Segway, and tore down the street.<\/p>\n

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It's got a bear on it! Thank you digital zoom.<\/p><\/div>\n

I went around the corner (I’d now gone from Brookside Ct to Maple St, and now onto Hampstead), and could just barely see it disappear beyond the trees:<\/p>\n

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I figured it was completely gone, and that I’d made a mistake by not staying on Maple, but I continued up Hampstead St then took a left onto Howe. I rode for a while without seeing anything..<\/p>\n

And then..<\/p>\n

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It landed!!<\/p><\/div>\n

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...<\/p><\/div>\n

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....<\/p><\/div>\n

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.....<\/p><\/div>\n

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......<\/p><\/div>\n

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It's down<\/p><\/div>\n

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The basket<\/p><\/div>\n

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Deflating<\/p><\/div>\n

Of course, as always, I can’t say no to someone who’s curious about the Segway:<\/p>\n

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We started counting how many types of vehicles were within a fifty foot radius.. That included this wheelbarrow:<\/p>\n

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Putting the balloon in a big wheelbarrow<\/p><\/div>\n

It was interesting to see what was involved in packing away a huge hot air balloon. My Segway has a bit less maintenance.. but then again, it can’t fly.<\/p>\n

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Lots of work packing up the basket..<\/p><\/div>\n

I asked if they had a brochure and they handed me one:<\/p>\n

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That's the balloon, there on the brochure!<\/p><\/div>\n

What they end up doing is lifting the basket on a lift and just tying it down lifted.<\/p>\n

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Ready to drive away<\/p><\/div>\n

So here’s the summary video describing my crazy experience:<\/p>\n

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The balloon left from Walmart in Salem, NH and arrived on Shearson Drive in Methuen. Here’s a map to show some idea of the distance it traveled:<\/p>\n