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Goats on a Washington pasture went running when a hot air balloon unexpectedly touched down, according to this week, according to KIRO 7 on Thursday (June 17).
Reporters learned the ride started in Woodinville with plans to land in Redmond. Mother Nature had other plans for the passengers as the wind drifted them way off-course.
“We missed a couple spots we were trying for, and this was the first safe landing spot,” passenger Josh Deutsch, a New York native, said. “We had a couple of times where it looked like we were going to run into a tree and then he fires up the gas and pulls a rope, and you’re fine.”
The balloon pilot used his quick thinking and managed to bring them to a smooth landing on Louise Stoner's pasture. The passengers applauded the pilot for his actions.
Stoner told KIRO 7 that she was putting out her chickens when she heard the hot air balloon touch down carefully on her pasture. The pilot gifted her a bottle of Champagne as thanks for letting her use the property as a last-minute landing zone.
As for the goats, they were "still irritable" by Thursday morning, Stoner told reporters.