Hot Air Balloon Ride with Mom

A few years ago, Mom expressed the desire to go in a hot air balloon.  At that point, I decided that I would make sure that happened for her.  It took a while, but October was the month! Scheduling was a bit crazy, but I was off for a few days, so we planned our ride for a Thursday morning.

We see hot air balloons over two of my siblings' houses all the time, so we wanted to fly over their houses and have them go out in the yard so we could wave at them!  Sounds like fun, huh?  When I called to book our trip, though, I was told that, in October, the winds over their homes were a bit unpredictable and the winds over North Phoenix were better--and it was also a prettier view, so North Phoenix, it was.

We got up early and headed to the parking lot where a van would pick us up for our ride.  We got there early, which is nice because I got lost--which is pretty normal for me in a new place.  The directions we had were a bit interesting--OK, I will just say it --they were not right!  I don’t usually get too stressed about being lost, but I was a bit stressed this day because we were on a deadline.  I shouldn’t have worried.  We got there before our van showed up, then waited with the other early birds while the rest of the group showed up.  

We were driven to our launch site, which was pretty much out in the middle of an empty spot of desert.  We got out of the van and watched the balloons get filled.  

Then we got to climb in the basket and wait for the balloon to finish filling.  There was time for a picture or two while we waited!

We were off!  

There is a lake in the distance that was hard to see in the picture because the air was a bit hazy that day.

I was amazed at how calm it was up in the air.  We traveled pretty high, but it never felt like we were moving.  The only way I could tell we were moving up or down was when my ears popped.  We rode for about 40 minutes, then managed to land in the same spot we started!  That does not happen very often!  Also, our landing was very smooth.  We landed, drug for a few feet, then stopped.  That also does not happen often!  

All in all, this was a great adventure!  I can hardly wait for another adventure with Mom!  

The telescope adventure with Mom

I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and got two free tickets to tour the Mount Graham International Observatory.  Over the years, I have thought about visiting the Observatory, but never got around to it, so I was excited about the tickets.  Now I just had to figure out when I would go and who I would take with me!  I really wanted to take Dad with me, and he had planned to go, but then he had to be out of town on business for an extra day, so he wouldn’t be home in time to go.  He suggested I take Mom with me.  That was a good suggestion!

Our tour started with a small orientation at Discovery Park. Then we climbed in a van and started the 40 mile trip up the mountain to the Observatory.  Even though it was only 40 miles, it was about an hour trip because of the very curvy road!  The docents in our van, both the driver and the tour guide, were friends of mine, so that was fun!

We stopped for lunch before we visited the Observatory.  It was a bit chilly, but several of us ate outside.  This little guy joined me.  

After lunch, we headed up to the Observatory.  The road was very, very narrow.  We found out later that when they were trying to get land for the Observatory, they were granted only a few acres, and the road they had to create counted as part of their acreage!  

I had always thought that the Observatory was only one telescope, but on this trip, I found out that there are three telescopes:  the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, the Heinrich Herts Submillimeter Radio Telescope of the Arizona Radio Observatory, and the Large Binocular Telescope, the world’s most powerful telescope--at least for a little bit.  Another, more powerful, telescope is being built as we speak.  (I think it is in Chile.)

The Vatican Telescope

The Radio Telescope

This is the track the telescope runs on to rotate.  It is huge!  The weight of the telescope wears out the track, so they built the track in pieces.  When they need to replace the track, they replace it a piece at a time.  

Mom and I had to take a picture of this nitrogen tank for Dad!  He sells liquid nitrogen and we always had a few of these tanks in our living room. They use a LOT of liquid nitrogen in the radio telescope.  To extrapolate the data from the radio waves, they need them to be very cold, so they run the radio waves through liquid nitrogen!  Who knew that would work? Not me!!

Large Binocular Telescope

One of the mirrors of the Large Binocular Telescope.  When they told us how big this was, I couldn’t picture it, but these mirrors are huge!

Mom and I in front of one of the mirrors.

Picture of the Large Binocular Telescope--This is HUGE!  The mirror in the above picture is just one of the mirrors in this telescope.  The whole telescope is several stories tall.  It was very awe-inspiring.  

One of the fires on the mountain got this close to the Large Binocular Telescope.  The fire was so hot things didn’t grow at all in that spot for several years.  There are a few green spots now, but most of it still doesn’t have anything growing.  That is a very hot fire!

I don’t have the words to describe how awe-inspiring this visit was.  I cannot imagine the thinking that went into creating telescopes of this magnitude or the process that went into figuring out how to explore space with those telescopes!  And then there is the magnitude of space.  I cannot even comprehend the vastness of space.  The whole trip made me feel very small.  Another perspective came to mind, though.  In all the vastness of space and the multitude of stars, planets, universes and solar systems, God knows each of us individually and loves us individually.  I still feel small--but important.