Falling out of the sky at 900 feet a minute sounds shocking, but it’s not the least little bit scary if you’re in a hot air balloon.

Can’t even tell you’re going down except the treetops seem closer. Hot air balloons billow over Albuquerque, New Mexico most every day, climbing up above the Rio Grande River at 800 feet a minute on a fast day, or up to 400 feet a minute on the ride I took in June.

Speed had no relevance for me, standing in my wicker basket—a look-alike to the one the Wizard of Oz floated away in when Dorothy and Toto wanted a ride to Kansas.

Not sure I want to go that far, but an hour or so before breakfast in sight of New Mexico’s mountains and high desert is wonderful.

Four other balloons floated around the early morning I went up with nine other people in the basket, plus the pilot. Astonishing feeling to look down into the top of another hot air balloon.

High-flying experiences are easy to access in Albuquerque, which likes to call itself a fit city with an abundance of outdoor recreation. Elite athletes train here for worldwide competitions, claiming the weather, altitude, mountains and numerous climate zones equip them for anything.

I’m no athlete, but I like trying new things, and I really like discovering tiny towns and big cities where I encounter those “Wonder if I’ll ever get a chance to do that?” experiences.

Albuquerque provided so many I almost need to start a new list of big-deal stuff to hope for.

The hot air balloon was only the beginning. Pilot Eric Greenwood started ballooning when he was two, and his mother Emily runs the Albuquerque Balloon Museum.

He’s FAA certified and I believe you want to ask before you go if your pilot is. The city airport is nearby and I listened in to Greenwood’s conversations with the air control tower. Daunting to say the least, but he was confident so I tried to be too.

If you stand close enough to talk to the pilot, you’re also right under the heater firing 12 – 15 million BTUs to keep afloat. Next time, I’m standing at the other end where it’s cooler and quieter.

Go Oct. 4-12 and see hundreds of balloons during the International Balloon Fiesta: rides like mine and competitions among expert racers and chasers.

Hot air balloon chasing is a career line to consider. Felipe Saldona chatted with me after I reached the ground, rejoicing as he rolled up 900 pounds of very densely woven rip stop nylon.

“Fifteen years of sitting behind a desk, managing a $750 million corporate budget,” he said, “is good to leave behind.

“Now I’m outside every day, helping share beautiful balloon experiences with delighted people every day.”