Ballooning Anyone?

Jump into a basket with 16 other people and soar high above the ground with a huge balloon and two propane tanks as your navigation instruments. Sounds like a combination for a bad time right?

Actually, it was amazing! For my last blog post, I'm going to talk about my Hot Air Balloon experience in Napa Valley and why I selected this adventure. Overall, heights and I get along. I've zip-lined over enormous canyons and near volcanoes in Costa Rica and stepped onto the glass floor of the Skydeck Ledge in Chicago along with perching atop look-offs of many hikes. But, there's something about the uncertainty of riding in a balloon that even unnerved my heights loving heart. But that anxiety subsided after about 1.2 minutes in the air.

I decided to take the Hot Air Balloon trip in Napa Valley because it's a beautiful way to see the area, and it's a very common attraction in the area. Our pilot had over 30 years piloting and ballooning experience and completed about 250 balloon flights a year through Napa Valley Balloons. Plus, the company provided a great champagne brunch post flight at Domaine Chandon in Yountville. Sold!

For ballooning, it's an early riser event. We met at 6:15 a.m. at the winery which ended up being pretty easy since we were still on Eastern Standard Time. Ballooning, as you can imagine, is also weather dependent. Thankfully, we had a beautiful morning free of rain and the right wind conditions.

Even if you can't muster up the courage to take the flight, find an opportunity to watch balloons being blown up and take off. It's stunning and a photographer's paradise.

We took a group ride which was the cheaper options (ballooning is not an economical adventure) and had us in a large basket with a group of 16 plus the pilot. Note to tall people, if you go ballooning, take a hat as the heat from the propane tanks might be bothersome. I'm 5'5" and the hubs in 5'10", and we didn't have any discomfort.

Taking off was a breeze (see what I did there?) and as we began to take flight, all anxiety dissipated. It was so beautiful; I was too busy taking pictures and enjoying the scenery to be nervous. And to our surprise, we found out the grape vine leaves much like the tree leaves back east turn vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow in the fall. So the colors and the grids the vineyards created plus the aerial of Yountville which is picturesque from any angle created a beautiful backdrop.

Our flight lasted approximately one hour. Our pilot who was jovial and informative without being overly chatty provided great commentary throughout the flight. He also completed a rarity on our flight which was taking off and landing in almost the same spot. We were the only balloon out of six to accomplish that during our flight. And speaking of landing, this is the only part of the flight that was a little unnerving. Right before you land, the pilot places you in strategic positions in the basket for balance. When you land, it does feel like the basket is about to turn over. It doesn't. We hit a few times before the pilot and the chase crew assigned to our balloon managed to get us solidly back on the ground, deflate the balloon and out of the basket.

Will I balloon again? I'd say no just because our experience was so perfect. Unless I hit the lottery, it's not something I can afford to do on the regular. If you're thinking about ballooning, go for it! It's a wonderfully unique experience. If you want to do it but might not be up for an hour soaring through the skies, most hot air balloon festivals provide tethered rides that are shorter and more economical.

So that's it friends! My 30 Before 30 adventure is complete. Thank you for following me on this journey. My challenge to you is make your own list and start checking things off. Life is short; make it count.

And now for more ballooning pictures.