California Dreamin' Balloon Adventures
Hot-Air Balloon Rides in Temecula CA
Overcoming Fears 1500 Feet Up (California Dreamin' Balloon Adventures, 33133 Vista Del Monte, Temecula, CA 92591-4949)
As all my college roommate can attest, I am not a morning person. I prefer to roll out of my bed around 11am, and I despise being rushed out of bed early. All that said, I’m pretty hesitant to wake up at 4am for any reason. The one exception I have made in the past decade has been to fly on one of the hot air balloon rides with California Dreamin’ Balloon Adventures. I took my best friend with me, with the goal of getting rid of her fear of heights once and for all. We had been hiking up the mountain, gone to the penthouse of the tallest building in our city, and we were finally ready to go one step further. So, on a cold September morning, I went against my better instincts and leaped out of bed well before sunrise to go pick up my friend and drive us to Temecula.
We arrived at 5:20am, just 5 minutes later than the requested time. As soon as we arrived, staff members practically swaddled us with warm fleece blankets as we received our orientation from Dylan, the pilot. He was super friendly, and my friend was reassured to know he had decades of experience in California balloon rides. After about a half hour of introductions, we finally got to the site, where staff unfurled the enormous balloon dubbed, "Hot Air Balloon California" and started to fill it up with air. Once it was inflated, they turned on the heat, and we were told to climb on in.
This was the moment of truth for my friend, her last chance to abandon the idea and turn around. To her credit, she put on an incredibly brave face and hopped in right after me. Dylan played the role of the expert perfectly, modeling total calm as we floated off into the air. My friend shut her eyes for the entire ascent, until we had crested over the clouds. Dylan called this a grape escape balloon adventure because we were right over all the vineyards. We were soaring 1500 feet above the ground, but the basket was steady enough for us to stand up and take a look. Over the edge of the basket, we could see the highest peak in Southern California, Mt. San Gorgonio. A few minutes of looking down was enough for my friend, who sat back down and cuddled in her blanket for the rest of the hour. For me, I couldn't get enough of the amazing view. This was one of the magical adventure balloon rides that everyone was talking about. The pilot noticed I was looking at building from 1,000 feet up, and he pointed out that it was the Temecula Valley Museum. Little did I know, that's where we ended on the next day. The flight felt like barely any time at all had passed before we landed.
Once back on solid ground, we were treated to a complimentary breakfast at Vindemia Vineyard & Winery. I wanted to stick around and explore the vineyard, but I could tell my friend had hit her limit. So we drove back home around 7:30am, and I got to sleep for 4 hours before my usual day began at 11am.
As all my college roommate can attest, I am not a morning person. I prefer to roll out of my bed around 11am, and I despise being rushed out of bed early. All that said, I’m pretty hesitant to wake up at 4am for any reason. The one exception I have made in the past decade has been to fly on one of the hot air balloon rides with California Dreamin’ Balloon Adventures. I took my best friend with me, with the goal of getting rid of her fear of heights once and for all. We had been hiking up the mountain, gone to the penthouse of the tallest building in our city, and we were finally ready to go one step further. So, on a cold September morning, I went against my better instincts and leaped out of bed well before sunrise to go pick up my friend and drive us to Temecula.
We arrived at 5:20am, just 5 minutes later than the requested time. As soon as we arrived, staff members practically swaddled us with warm fleece blankets as we received our orientation from Dylan, the pilot. He was super friendly, and my friend was reassured to know he had decades of experience in California balloon rides. After about a half hour of introductions, we finally got to the site, where staff unfurled the enormous balloon dubbed, "Hot Air Balloon California" and started to fill it up with air. Once it was inflated, they turned on the heat, and we were told to climb on in.
This was the moment of truth for my friend, her last chance to abandon the idea and turn around. To her credit, she put on an incredibly brave face and hopped in right after me. Dylan played the role of the expert perfectly, modeling total calm as we floated off into the air. My friend shut her eyes for the entire ascent, until we had crested over the clouds. Dylan called this a grape escape balloon adventure because we were right over all the vineyards. We were soaring 1500 feet above the ground, but the basket was steady enough for us to stand up and take a look. Over the edge of the basket, we could see the highest peak in Southern California, Mt. San Gorgonio. A few minutes of looking down was enough for my friend, who sat back down and cuddled in her blanket for the rest of the hour. For me, I couldn't get enough of the amazing view. This was one of the magical adventure balloon rides that everyone was talking about. The pilot noticed I was looking at building from 1,000 feet up, and he pointed out that it was the Temecula Valley Museum. Little did I know, that's where we ended on the next day. The flight felt like barely any time at all had passed before we landed.
Once back on solid ground, we were treated to a complimentary breakfast at Vindemia Vineyard & Winery. I wanted to stick around and explore the vineyard, but I could tell my friend had hit her limit. So we drove back home around 7:30am, and I got to sleep for 4 hours before my usual day began at 11am.