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Cloud Nine and I got off to a rough start.

As a matter of fact, we got off on such a bad start, that I intentionally steered clear of giving this new ride a try.  I’m a pretty unforgiving human being.

Lately, however, the balloon has been tempting me.  I’ve been passing the launch zone on a frequent basis, and the fact that I had not seen the view from the top was gnawing at me.

Today, I just couldn’t take it anymore.  I had to go up.  I caved.

As someone who has intermittently flown airplanes for the last 25 or so years, I think it’s safe to say that I am not afraid of heights.  I think it’s safe to say that I am not a fearful person in general.  I was a bike messenger who was hospitalized three times after being hit by vehicles, I’ve owned and ridden motorcycles, I’ve ridden in helicopters,  I’ve stood on stages in front of hostile crowds, I surfed in a hurricane and was hospitalized for contusions and lacerations, I’ve been bitten by a shark, I’ve gone up in the CN Tower and every major observation deck in North America, I’ve ridden every roller coaster and thrill ride imaginable, I’ve eaten at the Imperial Palace Buffet, I’ve gone to a Las Vegas physician, I watched a live taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show … many of these things provoke fear in rational human beings … but I took them all in complete stride.

I’ve gotten far more cautious since I’ve had kids, and I am not physically able to do what I used to do … but historically, few things have truly “scared” me.

The only exceptions would be slight claustrophobia with elevators (I was once trapped in one for 8 hours), germs (I won’t touch restroom doors – I use a paper towel), and I have a hatred (though not a true phobia) of vermin such as rats and insects.

This being the case, I found it humorous when a family member asked me “Are you going to be nervous?” before riding Cloud Nine.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the very notion.

“Oh yeah, sure, I’m petrified”, I said with every ounce of sarcasm I could muster.

With that, I went inside the terminal, paid for my ticket, and boarded the balloon without hesitation.

So far, so good.

As soon as the balloon left the ground, however, I began to sweat, my hands started to tremble, and I had to consciously try to keep the camera steady during the ascent.  As we got even higher, my heart started racing and I began to get a bit of vertigo.

What in the hell was going on?

For the first time in my life, I was actually experiencing fear on a controlled ride.

Certainly I was not suffering from a fear of heights.  I’m not afraid of heights.  We weren’t really moving quickly either.

After reaching the top, I searched for a rational excuse as to why I was reacting the way I was, and I came up with a plausible explanation as to why this thing scared me.  I’m a bit of a control freak.  The bicycles, the airplanes, the motorcycles, the surfboards, I had some level of control during all of these endeavors.  I could stop riding whenever I wanted, I could paddle to shore, adjust my altitude, what have you.  Even in situations when I am not in control, such as a commercial airline flight, I’ve at least experienced it enough times that I know what to expect.

The balloon was completely different.  It messed with my senses in every way imaginable.

Here I was, standing on an observation deck 500 feet above the ground, but the deck was moving.  Not only was it moving, but it was moving in a completely unpredictable manner.  When the wind blew in one direction, the deck moved in that direction, when the wind shifted course, so did the floor beneath my feet.  The deck twisted around, bobbed, and my brain was unable to process the physical cues.  The sensory input was completely irrational.  To me, it felt like I was in a building that was about to collapse.

Imagine standing in the Stratosphere Tower observation deck during an earthquake.  This is probably what it would feel like.

That’s not all.

The floor of the observation deck tilted.  There were a total of four people in the balloon, and at one point, I was on one side of the deck while the other three people were opposite me.  This resulted in a weight imbalance, and I noticed that I was slightly higher than everyone else.  When I looked down at the floor itself, it was uneven.  The same floor that separated us all from 500 feet of thin air and the ground below.  Again, this messes with everything your brain has been taught to expect from an “observation deck”.  All kinds of bells and whistles go off in your cranium trying to tell you that something is very, very wrong.

Because of all of the factors above, this “ride” was quite fun.  More fun than I expected.  My heart was in my throat half the time, and I was shaking a bit, but this is exactly why people ride roller coasters and watch horror movies.

From the ground, Cloud 9 doesn’t look terribly exciting, but this look is somewhat deceiving.  The view from the balloon is quite compelling (especially watching large aircraft taking off from McCarran beneath you), and the moving observation deck is quite unique.

After remaining aloft for 11 minutes (someone photographed me from the ground during my ride and timed it), we gently returned to earth, still slightly bobbing and weaving on the way down, I was a little disappointed that it was over.

I honestly didn’t think I would say this, but I highly recommend Cloud 9.  I hold grudges forever, and I almost wanted to hate it, but I would be remiss if I did not recommend it.  I even recommend it over both The Eiffel Tower and The Stratosphere Tower.

This is not your average observation deck.  It’s very “ride-like” in that it will get your adrenaline working, while providing a wholly unique 360 degree view of the city.

The cost to go up was $22.50, and while this seems like a lot of money for eleven minutes, the amount is equal to about four hands of low-limit 6:5 Blackjack, and it’s far more satisfying and memorable.  Given the uniqueness of the experience, it is a fair rate.

“But Rex, you’ve already posted the pictures, we already know what the view looks like now.”

Trust me, it’s not the same.  The view is only half of the experience.  The wind blowing across your face, the floor moving beneath your feet, the odd tilting of the platform that makes you feel like it’s going to tip over — these things cannot be conveyed with photographs.

If I had any advice on when to go up, I would tell you to go on a moderately windy day.  15Mph seems to be the sweet spot.  The balloon will not launch if the winds are above 20Mph.  Today, the wind was gusting variably from 10-15Mph.  When we got hit with a decent gust, it provided for some interesting moments.

Anyway, if you’ve yet to do so, you might want to consider a flight on Cloud Nine.

It’s not cheap, but as Las Vegas rides go, I do think this one is absolutely worth it.

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