High Altitude Balloon Flight

Balloon Flight from Patrick Cullis on Vimeo.

  A short video compiling footage from two balloon flights last summer.  Includes high resolution photos from above 85,000 feet as well as video from launch, burst, and landing.

  Music by Excavacations - Actual Behavior

Take the Highway... (to the Moon over the Great Divide)

The Moon sets above the Great Divide from 86,000 feet above Colorado.

flickr version with labeled landmarks

  The snow-capped Rocky Mountains of Colorado stretch across this photograph taken on June 27, 2013 from 86,000 feet.  The waning Moon shines in the black sky above the Earth's thin atmosphere.  I-70 snakes up from the bottom towards Loveland Pass and the Eisenhower Tunnel.

The Moon above the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Dillon Reservoir, I-70, Georgetown, Berthoud Pass, and Winter Park / Mary Jane

  In the center of the photo can be seen (from top-left to right) Dillon Reservoir in Frisco, CO, I-70 snaking down from the Eisenhower Tunnel to Georgetown (in valley stretching from left to right,) and Berthoud Pass to Winter Park Ski Area in the top right.

Lake Granby and the Continental Divide

Denver and Boulder from 86,000 feet.  

  From a view looking northeast, the sprawl of Denver can be seen in the bottom right.  Nestled against the foothills and iconic Flatirons, Boulder is on the left, below center.

Go Higher

Boulder, Colorado and the Continental Divide from 100,000 feet.

 Snow-capped peaks highlight the Continental Divide while smoke from forest fires fill the valleys.  I'm hoping to get a clear day soon for a follow up, but may have to wait until winter to get a transparent air mass.