To some, riding in a hot air balloon seems like a bucket list item, to some, a worst nightmare. For two feather staffers, riding in a hot air balloon was a reality.

Journalist, Annaleise Anderson, ’19, and videojournalist, Blake Deffenbacher, ’20, see Fresno from a different perspective as they ride in the Remax balloon, Oct. 26.

Riding alongside Robert, ‘Magic Bob’ Locklin, students travel from the Clovis Fairgrounds to North Fresno. Locklin has flown hot air balloons for nearly 40 years in multiple states, building up his credibility as a professional pilot.

In preparation for ClovisFest, Remax takes students above ground on this balloon adventure to promote the event the following weekend. Every year, balloons take off from the fairgrounds as a key part of this event. Seeing the hot air balloons take off draws families and locals to the event every year.

Did you know? The balloon that these students rode in uses enough air to fill up 90,000 basketballs!

Thank you to Remax and ‘Magic Bob’ for this once in a lifetime experience!

The video below recaps the Feather staffers ride in the Remax hot air balloon:

The author can be reached via email: Blake Deffenbacher, Instagram and Twitter.