14 MyNorth.com
up north | hot air balloon
Gilles discovered his passion for
hot air balloons as a child. His father,
a military helicopter pilot during the
Vietnam War, was desperate to find a
way back into the sky after returning
home. It seemed like fate when a relative
purchased a hot air balloon.
Gilles got his piloting license when
he was 18 and was soon ballooning for
corporations like Famous Footwear and
Rayovac Batteries and flying rides in
Australia, Africa and South America. To
date, he’s flown over five of the seven
continents and about 35 states in the U.S.
When Gilles saw Grand Traverse
Balloons was for sale, he convinced his
wife to venture to the Midwest from
California. They’ve since rebranded to
Traverse City Balloon Tours and are
operational May through November.
Gilles pulls a cord and we begin our
descent. After we’ve reunited with land,
Gilles presents a bottle of local bubbly.
“It’s a tradition that dates back to
the very first balloon ride,” he explains.
“When the Montgolfier brothers first
flew their balloon, they were attacked by
people thinking they were demons. And
so, in subsequent flights, they started
carrying Champagne to prove they were
French and civilized."
We raise our glasses as Gilles recites
the Balloonist Prayer:
“The winds have welcomed you with softness.
The sun has blessed you with its warm hands.
You have flown so high and so well that God
has joined you in laughter
and set you gently back into the loving arms
of Mother Earth.”
See page 45 for more ways to go up,
up and away this summer!An occasional Northern Michigan
vagabond, Kaitlin Dudlets currently writes
lakeside from Metro Detroit. Check out her
work at writtenbykaitlinrenee.com or connect
on Instagram @katie_dudlets.