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Last week in Orlando I had the chance to take a dawn balloon flight, out over the swamps that ring the city.

It was a chance I wasn't going to turn down - I'd had my first balloon flight many years ago, in a mass ascent over Bristol at the city's famous balloon festival. Since then, I'd remember the sense of incredible calm and silence as we drifted over the city, the sun falling behind the downs as we slowly floated east.

Lifting off from a field behind Disney's Celebration, we flew out over the swamps, over ancient cypresses, watching flocks of herons fly out for the days fishing. An osprey sat on its nest, while cardinals flashed red feathers from tree to tree. As the sun rose, it left traces of light and shadow ion the low-lying swamp mists, silhouetting the balloons that accompanied us across the sky.

The green forests spread below us, deep, dark, and silent. We passed over housing tracts, surprising families on dawn swims, and watched the light gild the edges of the theme parks. In the distance the sea glimmered silver, ready for the day. Finally we settled, ready to fold the balloon and head off for the waiting day.

An excellent experience, and a hearty recommendation for Jeff Thompson and his ground crew.

If you live in the South West US (and Texas), and have a GPS, you can make a bundle tracking down fallen balloon wireless repeaters.

Space Data's SkySites are weather balloons with cellular repeaters that provide mobile communications to desert areas - but they don't stay up long. As they're expensive beasties, they radio where they've landed to their replacements. The company then posts an approximate location on its web site - where local geocachers can reserve the detailed coordinates of a specific device for 48 hours, enough time to head out into the desert, find the balloon, and claim their bounty.

Apparently one chap made $10,000 last year...

link via Engadget