Michigan is Pretty Cool From a Hot Air Balloon

Perhaps We All Need a New Perspective

If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula... Look About You. Those words ring true to those of us who have taken flight OVER Michigan in a hot air balloon. As grade school students in Michigan, we were taught those words to appreciate the natural beauty right here in our own home state. As an avid hot air balloon pilot since 1982 and fan of Michigan's natural wonders, I've been fortunate to see the beauty of Michigan from slightly above the treetops.The perspective has allowed me to fully appreciate the sights and sounds of all that makes this state so unique. When flying over the countryside suspended beneath a giant seven story balloon in a basket made of wicker and rattan, your senses are heightened so you can actually hear the deer crashing through the woods before you see them. You can spot the fish swimming in the lakes and ponds just outside the reach of the anglers who desperately seek them. You can hear the dogs barking for miles around notifying their owners of the approaching balloon.

It's an incredible experience. And those of us who operate hot air balloons in Michigan love to share it with anyone daring enough to take flight.

Just about every year we fly directly over a great blue heron rookery located on an island in Kensington Park's Kent Lake near Milford. It's pretty incredible to see dozens of these giant birds with their six-foot wing spans hovering around their nests. We've peered down directly into their bushel basket sized nests with one or two eggs and marveled at how these gangly birds do it.

I flew an Ornithologist from the University of Michigan a few years ago and he helped me identify dozens of birds by sight and sound. Now I recognize the sweet call of Sand Hill Cranes half a mile away and tell my passengers to keep an eye out for them. I am fortunate to meet some incredible people in my business and learn something from every flight. In fact, I flew the Chief Meteorologist from Ann Arbor's Weather Underground. Considering hot air ballooning is 100% weather related I thoroughly enjoyed our discussions about the nuances of Michigan weather at sunrise and sunset.

Once, while flying over Grand Traverse Bay, I marveled at being able to see Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, Crystal Lake, as well as Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas with their vineyards and cherry orchards. What would take hours to see by car, I was able to enjoy in one big gulp from the air.

Last year I flew FOX-2 Detroit TV personality Lila Lazarus along with a passenger whose last wish was to fly over Michigan in a balloon! On another occasion, legendary Detroit guitarist Josh White even brought his guitar along for a concert in the air. Michigan people love the new perspective a hot air balloon provides. Perhaps that's what will help restore Michigan's luster; A New Perspective of the state and a renewed appreciation of the tremendous natural assets we take for granted.

To really appreciate all that Michigan has to offer, I encourage everyone to get a new perspective on Michigan, call a balloonist and schedule a flight today, because if you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you ... the view is better from above.