Three nonagenarians tick hot air ballooning off their bucket lists

Recently, three people in America aged over 90 decided to take their first hot air balloon rides. At the end of October, Caroyl Gooch of Charlottesville, West Virginia, celebrated her 91st birthday in a hot air balloon accompanied by Tim Read, her good friend and local pastor. Meanwhile, Chick McNish, 96, and Shirley Bachelder, 93, both took off from Franklin, Tennessee, during early November. All three of the adventurous nonagenarians told their local press that taking a hot air balloon ride was on their bucket list. In fact, two of the new balloonists had been dreaming of taking a flight for over 50 years. They all reportedly enjoyed the experience, with Gooch planning to take another ride on her 92nd birthday. Rick Behr, who was the pilot for Gooch’s flight, said:

“When she said this was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever done in her life, I mean to hear that from a 91-year-old, pretty wonderful.”