Dawn flight over Napa
Now I do have a recommendation for hot air balloon rides, Balloons Above the Valley. Our patriotically patterned balloon Freedom is one of the biggest balloons ever. I believe they said there are only 4 that large. We rode in a really large wicker basket with compartments. The ride was very beautiful and not at all scary. We had a panaramic view which included the yellow of grape leaves, a subtle mix of autumn colors, and a little frost.
The pilot can make a balloon go up and down, and make it spin (so all the passengers have different views) but not direct it. Moving up or down can put the balloon in a different air current but only the wind determines its direction and speed. When it was time to land it was quite tricky because we were above grape fields without many good places to land. You can't just land on someone's grape plants. Our pilot, Ferrell, decided to land on a dirt road separating fields. We got about 10 feet up from the ground and the wind pushed us back over a field. So we went higher, waited and tried again. Then the chase crew caught up and Ferrell threw down a rope. They grabbed the end of the rope and pulled with all their weight to coax the balloon back over the road. It worked, and the landing was incredibly gentle.
They drove us all back to the restaurant where we all parked for an all-you-can eat buffet breakfast with sparklying wine and mimosas.
Here are some of the still photos. David took most of them. I had the camcorder and it's going to take me a while to edit the shots.
