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Take a Virtual Balloon Flight

Come take a 4-minute flight in Barron Hilton's hot air balloon with Pilot Jack Waltz and Joe Pickett over Nevada's Black Rock Desert. This strange and beautiful landscape will be the backdrop for your flight as you float over an ancient dry lake bed surrounded by rugged mountains. Geologists refer to the lake bed as a "playa," which means beach in Spanish. This playa of silt (dry mud) extends, in some places, into the earth to a depth of more than 1 mile before hitting bedrock. The desert is over 100 miles long, and is one of the flattest places on earth.

For the best experience, use Shockwave to take the Balloon Flight (700k). Or if you prefer, see the RealAudio slide show via 14.4, 28.8, or ISDN+ connection. Or take the silent version of the virtual flight.

Photography by Aaron Strong.

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