I was in my early 20s before I realized I was afraid of heights.

Not seriously afraid, but enough to know that riding in a hot air balloon might be a scary experience.

When I learned that’s what I would be doing Friday morning, my initial reaction was mixed.

I thought it would be great to take my first balloon ride.

I definitely wanted to go, but I was also worried.

How would I react when I found myself hundreds of feet off the ground?

To my surprise, the trip was a breathtaking experience, and the height didn’t bother me.

I would recommend the view of Natchez and Concordia Parish at more than 2,000 feet to anyone.

The Friday morning flight was the start of Natchez’s 14th Annual Great Mississippi River Balloon Race.

I rode with pilot Steve Jones in the Budweiser balloon, sponsored by Southwest Distributors. A third passenger, Carl Lazenby of WAPF- 980 AM in McComb, also rode with us.

As part of the flight, more than 20 balloonists tried to throw beanbags onto two targets on the ground.

The task was not an easy one. Wind conditions kept many balloons, including ours, from getting close enough to the target to even attempt a toss.

&uot;There are so many different levels of wind velocities and directions,&uot; Jones said.

I soon learned that balloonists deal with this challenge all the time.

Jones said he had the same problem during last year’s balloon race.

In October 1998, the winds pushed his balloon about 200 feet to the right of the target, Jones said.

&uot;I tried several times and just couldn’t get back over there,&uot; Jones said.

This year, the Budweiser balloon ended up traveling to the far left of the target.

But Jones did not seem to be too bothered by this.

&uot;I’m not in it as much for the competition as for the fun of flying,&uot; Jones said. &uot;Just getting up here and seeing this.&uot;

I gained a whole new appreciation for the Longwood antebellum mansion as I was floating in the air.

And we even spotted a deer running through an open area.

&uot;This becomes what we call ‘fun-fly,’&uot; Jones said. &uot;Let’s fly, have a good time and burn some propane.&uot;

We finally landed the balloon safely on a levee in Concordia Parish.

Our very capable chase crew met us there and helped land the balloon.

Afterwards the crew toasted Lazenby and myself in honor of our first balloon ride.

We spent more than an hour and 40 minutes in the air Friday morning, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

Emily Whitten is a staff writer at The Democrat. She can be reached at 446-5172, ext. 251, or by e-mail at emily.whitten@natchezdemocrat.com.