Camping at Eleven Mile Reservoir

We have 70 Wounded Vets, family members and volunteers camping at Eleven Mile Reservoir. We have a pontoon boat and fishing boat ready to take everyone on the lake for fish and sight seeing. People trickle in all afternoon, tents get setup, kids are playing and everyone is getting acquainted. The boats came back to the marina at 6:00. We meet at 7:00 for a group meeting about tomorrow’s hot air balloon rides which is sponsored by the Pikes Peak Balloon Society. We have dinner all prepared for everyone, it is a great evening. We have to be at the launch site a few miles away by 6:00 in the morning so everyone is thinking about some sleep.

The next morning everyone packs up and heads for the launch site which is in a giant valley near the lake. The pilots have coffee and pastries for us and are very well organized. Everyone signs in and are assigned pilots and balloons. There are 15 balloons of different sizes, colors and shapes. The balloons start launching around 8:00, it is an incredible sight South Park is a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains; everyone rides, spouses, kids and Vets. The smiles on everyones faces says it all!

After the flights, we all gather back at the launch site for a great lunch prepared by Pikes Peak Ballooning Society and talk about the history of ballooning and a ceremony for the first time passengers. The Pikes Peak Balloon Society members are very generous and caring, they have done a wonderful job of making sure everyone is having a great time.
A big thanks to everyone!

Bob Adwar
Humanitarian Chair
SCI Denver Chapter