As I drove to work today and watched as this balloon traversed the sky I couldn't help but imagine the quiet and solitude one must experience while hundreds of feet up in the open air.  This type of craft was the first heavier than air flight and the first untethered launch with a human onboard was in 1783.  When I was down in Sierra Vista Arizona I saw dozens of unmanned radar equipped balloons leashed to the ground that were used for border surveillance.  Once I was in Phoenix and I walked up to a balloon owner working and asked "How long does it take to blow up one of these?"  He responded, "We prefer the term inflate."  Have you ever ridden in a hot air balloon?