Most of us are familiar with Hot Air Balloons from our childhood, after reading (or watching one of the many film adaptations of) Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days”. Maybe we won’t experience the same difficulties as Phileas Fogg -after all we won’t have to worry about the clock ticking- but we will definitely experience the same excitement of a Hot Air Balloon flight with the 21st century’s amenities.
Meet your traveling companions just before sunrise, get into the balloon basket and wait for your experienced F.A.A. Certified Pilot to take care of the rest. The launching varies, as it depends on the direction of the wind, but is always within a 15 mi/24 km radius of Traverse City.
The balloon flies as high as 2000-3000 ft/610-914 m or more. You will be able to see East and West Grand Traverse Bay, the Chain-o-lakes, as well as the alluring northern Michigan landscapes. A small camera or hand-held video camera may come in handy to capture the amazing scenery, while you’re in flight. Upon landing, the experience ends with the traditional Champagne Celebration.
Queenstown is considered by many sportsmen as the capital of extreme sports and adventure activities. It is situated in Otago region, in the South Island, New Zealand.
Experience Australia’s premier wine region from a majestic hot air ballooning over Barossa Valley. The valley is located at 60 km/37 mi, about an hour's drive north east of Adelaide, South Australia.
Mammoth Lakes is located near Mammoth Mountain, in California’s eastern Sierra about 100 mi/161 km south of Nevada State Line, 9 mi/14.5 km northwest of Mount Morrison, at an elevation of 7880 ft/2402 m, Mono County, California, USA.
The beautiful city of Sedona straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region in Arizona. Sedona is a place that offers many cultural sites, recreational opportunities, impressive landscapes and that's why it attracts about 4 million visitors every year.
There’s not much to say about the capital of Sweden, Stockholm that has not already been said. One of the most vibrant and energetic capitals of Europe, Stockholm is a city that never sleeps.
"Jackson, Mississippi: City with Soul" is the current motto for the notorious capital of the U.S. state of Mississippi, which sits atop the Jackson Volcano. Located at the southern border of the Mississippi Delta, Jackson is the capital as well as the largest city in the Mississippi state. The total area of 277 km²/106.95 mi² was inhabited by the Choctaw Nation for thousands of years before European encounter.
Chicago is the seat of Cook County, Illinois, USA. It is the third most populous city in the US and the most populous city in both the American Midwest and Illinois. Nicknamed as The Second City or Windy City, Chicago is situated on the southeastern shores of Lake Michigan, in the northeastern Illinois.
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes, the only one placed entirely within the United States and the second largest Great Lake by volume. It has the same surface elevation as Lake Huron, making the two technically a single lake. The Straits of Mackinac connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Over the years, many ships have sunk in the Straits. One of the shipwrecks lying in the Straits of Mackinac Underwater Preserves is St. Andrew.
The Straits of Mackinac Underwater Preserve lies at the northern tip of Lakes Michigan and Huron and tries to preserve Michigan’s shipwrecks for later generations. Over the years, a large number of ships have submerged in the Straits, many of them have yet to be discovered.
Traverse City is a city in the state of Michigan and the county seat of Grand Traverse County, located at the south end of Grand Traverse Bay, a 32 mi / 51 km long, 10 mi / 16 km wide and up to 620 ft / 190 m deep in spots bay of Lake Michigan. Combining varied natural attractions for adventure and/or relaxation, Traverse City is a four-season visitor’s destination.
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes and the only one placed entirely within the United States. It has the same surface elevation as Lake Huron and it is the second largest of Great Lakes. The Straits of Mackinac join Lake Michigan with Lake Huron, sometimes called the Michigan-Huron. The Straits of Mackinac Underwater Preserve holds numerous shipwrecks, one of them being the Maitland.
Lake Huron is the third largest freshwater lake on Earth. Its lake shore is 3827 mi/ 6159 km long and the average depth is 195 ft/ 59.4 m. Lake Huron and Lake Michigan have the same surface elevation and are technically a single lake. The Straits of Mackinac connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Many ships have sunk in the Straits, due to storms over the past years, some of them yet to be found. The Straits of Mackinac Underwater Preserve tries to preserve Michigan’s shipwrecks. The preserve contains more than thirteen recognized shipwrecks. One of them is the Martin Stalker.
Joliet is a city situated in both Will and Kendall Counties of Illinois, USA. The city is at 40 miles/64 km in the southwest of Chicago and is the county seat of Will County.
Chicago is the seat of Cook County, Illinois, USA. It is the third most populous city in the US and the most populous city in both the American Midwest and Illinois. Nicknamed as The Second City or Windy City, Chicago is situated on the southeastern shores of Lake Michigan, in the northeastern Illinois.
