Balloon man floats 235 miles in lawn chair

Cambridge, Idaho -- An Oregon man landed safely in Idaho after floating 235 miles at 10,000 feet above the ground in a chair attached to a cluster of balloons, onlookers say.

Kent Couch, 48, of Bend landed near Cambridge, Idaho, Saturday after floating about 235 miles in a lawn chair suspended by 160 large helium-filled balloons
The (Portland) Oregonian reported.

"A customer said, 'Oh, it's the balloon man, it's the balloon man.' So we ran outside," said Laurene Houghton, owner of the Cambridge City Market.

This was the third time the adventurous gas station owner tried floating from Bend to Idaho in a chair tied to balloons, the newspaper said.

Couch said his flights aren't "that dangerous" but he took a parachute and satellite phone just to be safe.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.