ROLLER SKATE for
FUN & FITNESS

OURING NATIONAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WEEK
MAY 15-25

SCHOOL’S OUT!

“SPECIAL AFTERNOON SKATING’

FRIDAY MAY 20 &
MONDAY MAY 23
11-1; 1-3; 3-5 pm

“BRING A CAN OF FOOD AND $1 AND ROLLER SKATE FOR
ONE AFTERNOON OURING NATIONAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
WEEK (INCLUDES ADMISSION AND SKATE RENTAL)

SKATING CENTER

988-0222

48¢ westiynn mall ,

PIONEER: | _
DAYS

WESTLYNN M

By
CAROLINE M. JACKSON

Until recently, I
had always thought of a
basket as a receptacle
for collecting groceries
or laundry and if an
acquaintance had
predicted that I should
ever be standing in one
while floating over the
desert, I would have
probably presumed the
individual to be a
basket case.

My strange adventure
began just after 5 a.m. as the
desert sky turned from a
dusky purple to a delicate
pink. My early morning
rendez-vous was with the
crew of Sunrise Balloons.
The location - a field
surrounded by grapefruit
orchards near Palm Desert,
California.

Minutes ahead of my
arrival, the four-man crew
had already disgorged their
equipment from a_ heavy-
duty truck. Clad in bright
orange overalis and wearing
protective gloves, two crew
members carefully spread

OH, TO be young and
light on your feet!
Jamey Heppell has his
first bounce on a Sun-
dance trampoline as
part of the fimess week
activities at the North

Van Rec Centre, Sun-
day.

" Stuart Davie

ee

tad

SIDEWALK SALI - MAY 24- 28

FEATURING: ' °°
* PIONEER PRICED BARGAINS

* PIONEER DAYS COSTUME
CONTEST ON MAY 26

e For children 0-9 years at 7:00 PM
© For children 10-18cyears at 7:30 PM
@ Many prizes to beywon.

FOR MORE DETAILS WATCH FOR
LL'S PIONEE a
FLYER INSERW INTHE
SHORE “ON
MAY wbx
N

Newsroom 985-2131

the balloon envelope out on
the desert floor while their
coworkers placed a_ large
portable fan and a propane
cylinder between the wicker
basket and the neck of the
balloon.

Within seconds, the fan
was noisily forcing cold air
into multi-colored ripstop
nylon envelope making it
ripple like a_ swelling sea
before bursting into life and
billowing skywards’ to
obliterate the lightening
desert sky. As soon as the
balloon had swelled to half
its capacity, the propane-
fuelled burner was ignited to
emit a long dancing flame
into the nape of the balloon.
Bucking like a newly
tethered horse, it pulsed
against its guy ropes and
visibly tested the heavy
canvas strap attaching the
basket to the adjacent
weighty vehicle.

Slowly, the balloon's wavy
contours assumed cur-
vaceous lines and quickly
one of the crew righted the
basket to stabilise it on the
ground, all this carefully
coordinated teamwork
having been accomplished
with hardy a spoken work
such was the concentration
and expertise of the crew.

pewanee is ESN

SECTION

FASHION ° FOOD
TRAVEL

At last it was time to climb

-tnto the creaking waist high

hamper with the help of the
pilot. In some trepidation, I
enquired as to the company’s
accident record.

“As far-as we know, we
haven't lost any passengers
yet although we have had
some fast landings”, the pilot
laughingly admitted. At this
point, it was also comforting
to know that each pilot held
a FAA certified commercial
balioon licence. While I had
patience, the balloon did not
and within seconds it was
released from its prison, the
ground.

Silently, majestically, we
were- effortlessly airborne
and skimming across the
feathery crowns of the date
palms heading towards the
blue beyond. The ex-
perience was indeed a
marked contrast to take-off
in a commercial airline.

Instead of roaring engines,
I heard only the melody of
the dawn chorus” and
Stranger still, I was standing
shoulder to shoulder with
the pilot. Unlike a plane,
however, a balloon cannot
fly on a predistined course as
it is dependent entirely upon
wind direction. The only

CONTINUED ON PAGE C3

We fillet free :
: *we pack for alrtrave

‘,

iSEAWEST

SEAFOODS LTD.
832 W 16th St. N.Van

Phone: 985-5156

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