Phoenix: Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride, Sonoran Desert

The Sonoran Desert is the only place in the world where the saguaro cactus grows wild, and a balloon at sunrise is a good way to look at it. Low sun does the work. Cactus and ridge throw long shadows, and the desert floor has a grain and a depth it loses by mid-morning. This is a guided sunrise flight, so the day starts before the light does. Transport to and from the launch site is included in the price, so the pre-dawn drive out to the field is somebody else's problem. A toast follows the landing, an old habit in this sport rather than a modern add-on. A balloon has no steering. The pilot works the height and the wind decides the track, so no two mornings cross the same ground. Flights depend on calm air at first light, and marginal weather moves the departure. Dress for desert cold before sunrise, not for the afternoon in the forecast.