'I finally got exasperated and really started shooting balloons'

FILE - This July 14, 2012 file photo shows gas station owner Kent Couch, right, conferring with Iraqi adventurer Fareed Lafta before taking off from Bend, Ore., in tandem lawn chairs suspended from helium-filled party balloons. The men said Tuesday after hitting thunderstorms about about 14,000 feet, they considered bailing out, but decided to land, coming down safely in a hay field about 40 miles from their starting point. (AP Photo/Jeff Barnard, File)