Saturday – May 10 Cappadocia, Cilician Gates, Antakya

For much of our group, we were up again with the roosters, literally.  Our wake up call was at 4:30 again; the roosters were up, and it also coincided with the morning call to prayer.  With all of that activity, there is no doubt we should be up and awake...and for a good reason.  We are hoping again to take a hot air balloon ride.  This time we are feeling optimistic, because they loaded us on a minibus and took us over a dirt road to the launching site at 5:30.  We arrived just in time to watch the sun rise.  

We waited, somewhat patiently, as they continued to assess the winds.  We watched as several small balloons were launched and disappeared into the clouds.  Finally, with only 20 minutes left in the launch window, we were given permission to fly....in NASA vernacular that's "Go for launch!" 

We watched as the balloons were inflated and standing ready. 

Ten minutes later we were climbing into the basket and waving goodbye to our crew. If you look closely, you can see Judy, Bruce, the back of Cathy's head, Paul, and Steve.

  

Up, up and away has a whole new meaning to me now.  It was the most peaceful, gentle feeling you can imagine. It was very much worth the wait! We gently glided over the strangely beautiful formations we explored the day before.  The open air museum, castles, and fairy chimneys were easily spotted from above.  

Notice the shadow of our balloon on the canyon wall. 

We even photographed the cave hotel.  Orhan, our guide, threatened to send us on a special tour if we didn't share with him the pictures we took of his childhood home.  Our pilot, Turgut, was very talented, taking us high above the valleys, then almost grazing the trees. This trip of a life time was over before we knew it and Turgut had skillfully landed the basket on top of the trailer.  

Ferrell and Elizabeth.  Ferrell noted this does not mean he is a basket case!

We climbed down and were treated to a celebratory glass of cherry juice, a delicious treat.  Stacy was so happy to be on the ground, she gave our pilot a big hug! 

We hurried back to the hotel to pack our bags, grab a quick bite of breakfast and were off again.  We have almost 300 miles to cover today and we are getting a late start.  We began our journey headed south through the Tarus mountain range.  The roads are very nice and the scenery is amazing. We traveled through valleys, over passes blasted through the mountains,  and at one point through 10 tunnels.  It is hard to imagine how difficult and long this journey must have been for Paul and his companions.  It really makes you appreciate the passion and dedication they had to spreading the gospel. I will post more of today's journey and pictures later.  I have a good internet connection right now and want to make sure I get something posted.