By Shannon Lukens.
Forty years ago, a group of 6th graders in Palm Springs, California, filled up 1,200 balloons with helium and sent them on their way to see where they would land. One of those balloons landed along Hwy 40 in Craig. Jim Phillips was working at Trapper Mine and he saw that balloon, picked it up, and read the card, which said, “Dear Balloon Finder: We at Cahuilla School sent balloons flying as part of a reading contest. Please help us by letting us know where and when the card was found and dropping the card in the mail.”
That’s what Phillips did, with an article about the fast-traveling balloon from the Daily Press. That balloon was estimated to have traveled about 650 miles in 15 hours.
The 11-year-old boy who sent the balloon was Craig Tockman. This past week, his parents made the journey to Craig to see where her son’s balloon landed and thank the community. Janet Morris was told to meet with Dan Davidson at the Museum of Northwest Colorado. Davidson helped her get in touch with Jim Phillips.
“And he put Jim Phillips on the phone with me. And he remembered the story. And my son is 51 now and he was 11 at that time. So it took 40 years for me to personally come and thank everybody, but I’m here.”
The newspaper article says Bill Harding relaunched the balloon to see where it would go from Craig, but no one heard back from that one. Craig Tockman sent this pictures of when the balloon was re-released, from Bill Harding.
Craig Tockman now.
Here is the longer version of the story from Janet Morris.