Having exhausted his repertoire of alarming
maneuvers while flying John Ninomiya's cloudhopper, Ernie Hartt finally gives in and buys
his own certified pre-owned cloudhopper. It's a very handsome blue Lindstrand 31
with the mysterious legend "B1", which actually used to be "IBM", but
gives rise to the balloon's new name: "The Bomber".
Flying the Red Rocks in Gallup is a highlight of
the ballooning year, and it's especially fun if you have a Cloudhopper.
Jenny: Huh?
Ernie: What?
Lanny: Don't worry, folks, everything is under control.
Photos by Louise Hendrickson
Ernie Honored in
Verse
(with apologies to Richard Adams)
Where are you going, Pink Hat?
Far, far away
Augering into the earth, where the artichokes grow
Take me with you Pink Hat, on your low-altitude journey
I will be Hopper of the Hat,
The Hat, the blazing Pinkness of the Hat,
The Pink Hat and the Hopper
