Hot Air Balloon Adventure – Part 2 – Video

In my previous post, I wrote about the great time DH and I had at the Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival this past Friday and Saturday.  But the REAL adventure took place on Sunday …

We realized we didn’t really need to buy tickets to see the balloons so early Sunday morning we returned to the same vacant lot in Temecula.  There were already about 3-4 balloons preparing to launch. 

One pilot in particular was struggling with his balloon.  Turns out his crew had not shown up.  Although he had no clue what to do, DH offered to help him out.

It’s a lot of hard work getting these puppies up!  Double-click on a picture, and you’ll see DH struggling with the rope as Panda bear becomes upright.

If you look closely at this last picture, you’ll see a group of folks standing around the basket, which sports a “Happy Birthday” sign.  It is easy to assume this group is preparing to board the basket for a fun-filled experience.

Imagine his surprise when the pilot Tim told DH to jump in for the ride of his life!  Turns out the group was only there taking pictures and not there for a ride.  DH was so excited, as much as any child visiting Disneyland for the first time!

Up, up and away in my hot air balloon!

Here is a slide show of some great pictures he took.

Hot Air Balloon Ride VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

They rode for about an hour before landing in another vacant lot. 

I drove to the landing site where I picked them up and took the pilot back to his original launch site to retrieve his vehicle.

Deflating the Panda is almost as much work as inflating it! Here’s a short clip …

DH is still walking on air! 

DH and Tim

 www.panda-moniumballoonflights.com

Next … Albuquerque, NM for the International Balloon Fiesta in October!

Ballooning … Instead of Quilting!

About 6 months ago, DH bought a brand new fancy SLR Canon camera, and photography has become his new passion … along with hiking and mountain climbing.  I don’t usually accompany him on his extreme adventures, but lately we’ve been taking weekend trips to local communities and events.

This weekend was no exception, and we spent it at the Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival. This was our first ever hot air balloon festival/experience, and we had a great time watching the balloons and taking photographs.

The festival had four main components: wine tasting, food court, entertainment (concerts) and hot air balloon rides.  Unfortunately, at $200 a person, a balloon ride was a *little* out of our price range.

The festival started Friday evening and included a “balloon glow”.  To create the glow, balloon pilots ignite their burners simultaneously which causes the colorful balloon envelopes to glow against the dark skies. We’d never been so close to a hot air balloon so this was really exciting.  I love how the balloons remind me of quilts.  Look at the ones with the Bargello and chevron designs … so pretty!

Saturday morning we arrived just before 6:00 a.m. with excitement and anticipation, expecting to see a mass ascension of balloons.  Unfortunately, the weather and wind were not cooperating and the launch was cancelled … sort of. 

This annual festival takes place on Lake Skinner which is part of the Riverside County Regional Park, a habitat conservation area for the Stephens’ Kangaroo Rat.  The direction the wind was blowing would require the balloons to land in this protected area, so the launch from the county park was nixed. 

We knew something was up when we saw a mass exodus of "balloon” vehicles.  We quickly left the park area and discovered the balloonists were launching off-site from nearby vacant lots or one of the many wineries in the area.

It was awesome to see the balloons and pilots up close and personal!  It was so exciting to see the balloon take shape from a flat envelope to a beautiful globe, and slowly float into the sky … so soft and gentle.

By 9:30 a.m. most of the balloons had landed and it was time for breakfast!  Since we’d bought tickets for the festival thinking we had to pay admission to see the balloons, we went back to walk around, visit with the vendors and listen to some music. 

They also had a “petting zoo” (more like an exhibit), with some very interesting residents.  Here I am with Mabel the baby camel … love her big brown eyes and long lashes!

My favorite, however, has to be this albino baby wallaby.  She’s only 3 months old and as cute as a button!  She’d just been fed her bottle so she was very sleepy and oblivious to the commotion around her.

As much fun as we had yesterday, the REAL adventure took place this morning.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime RPRT adventure … one that can only happen when “you’re in the right place at the right time”! 

Part 2 to be continued tomorrow …