More than 20 senior citizens recently went airborne over Aiken.
Residents at Cumberland Village, a senior living community, seized the opportunity to participate in hot air balloon rides Thursday afternoon. Hot air balloon pilot Randy Russell took residents up for a free thrill ride.
Two at a time, the brave seniors ascended into the skies onboard Russell's balloon. The balloon was tethered to the ground so drifting away wasn't a possibility, but the excitement from the seniors reached beyond the clouds.
Before the ride, Jerry Carnes, 75, said, "I have never been up in one before. Now is my chance. I am eager to get to it. I am not afraid; if it breaks and we float away somewhere, I don't care - they always come down. I can't believe it really is a basket."
During his ride, Carnes hung over the side of the basket waving to his friends on the ground with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
"It was so much fun. I just wish we could go higher. I wouldn't mind floating in one across the meadows. I could feel the flame warming my hair; it's a good thing I left my oxygen here," he said.
Close friends Eleanor Cannon and Mildred Knight went up together. It was the first time for both and a long-awaited trip for Knight.
"I was supposed to go up in one in Oklahoma about 17 years ago, but it rained that day and it was never rescheduled. This is my first chance since then," Knight said.
While the balloon was being filled for takeoff, Cumberland Village residents gathered in the parking lot to take in the excitement. For many, it was the first time they had ever been so close to a hot-air balloon.
"I have never been up before, and I feel good about it. I have never been exposed to this before," Genie Harvey said.
"It's something I have never tried, and I thought I would give it a try," Phil Cozad said.
"I knew right from the start, I was going to do it. I am a go-getter," Helena Schilling said.
Everyone who went up in the hot air balloon came down with a smile.
"I enjoyed it, but I was a little frightened. I am glad I had my granddaughter with me. She protected me. I'd do it again," said Harvey, who went up with Brannon McComb.
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