Arizona: Balloon ride gives bird’s-eye view of desert's wonders

Arizona: Balloon ride gives bird’s-eye view of desert's wonders I was excited but nervous on how this bucket list adventure might end during a recent five-day trip to Scottsdale, Arizona. Kim Pemberton Jun 2, 2024 4:15 AM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Previous Next 1 / 1 Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West home and studio, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, glows at sunset. The famous architect lived there after designing and building it in the 1930s until his death in 1959.

It’s now open for tours. KIM PEMBERTON Advertisement Expand Listen to this article 00:09:01 I’m used to modern air travel, watching clouds from an airplane window while safely strapped in with a seat-belt. So it was with some trepidation I found myself standing untethered in a wicker basket, 1,830 metres above the ground, on my first hot air balloon flight.

I was excited but nervous on how this bucket list adventure might end during a recent five-day trip to Scottsdale, Arizona. Sure, I had a bird’s-eye view of Saguaro cactus, with their arms pointing skyward, saw houses resembling monopoly board pieces and watched a half-dozen colourful hot air balloons floating nearby over the Arizona desert. It was a sunny, clear day and the unobstructed 360-degree view was amazing, but I was still nervous how the one-hour ride, which began shortly after sunrise, would conclude.

Especially after being told some baskets don’t land upright. And while .