Some People Follow Through on Their Dreams
Balloons suspend Kent Couch in a lawn chair as he floats in the skies near Bend, Ore., on Saturday.
BEND, Ore. – Last weekend, Kent Couch settled down in his lawn chair with some snacks and a parachute. Attached to his lawn chair were 105 large helium balloons.
Destination: Idaho.
With instruments to measure his altitude and speed, a global positioning system device in his pocket, and about four plastic bags holding five gallons of water each to act as ballast he could turn a spigot, release water and rise Couch headed into the Oregon sky.
Nearly nine hours later, the 47-year-old gas station owner came back to earth in a farmer’s field near Union, short of Idaho but about 193 miles from home.
“When you’re a little kid and you’re holding a helium balloon, it has to cross your mind, Couch told the Bend Bulletin.
Information | TheFourEyes July 11, 2007
