Gypsy Flights Hot Air Balloon Adventures

This weekend take advantage of the balloon rides at the Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival. The festival continues through to Sunday, June 7th.

Ballooning began in the 18th century by Frenchmen, of course. Gotta love the French and they found a way to include champagne in the celebration of ballooning.

Rumor has it that two Frenchmen were watching the flames of a fire and saw the thermal uplift caused by the heat. At the time they thought the smoke caused the uplift. They watched pieces of paper fluttering through the fire and wondered if they could harness the energy. Short story, they did.

The champagne was introduced as a way for balloonists to identify themselves before landing. Previous to the champagne introduction locals would attack the balloon and everything in it believing that it was something from another spirit or world, perhaps a dragon.

If you have ever noticed, champagne has a lip just under the opening. This was used to tie a string around the bottle and lower the bottle some 30 feet before touchdown. The local farmer would see that it was a Frenchman in the contraption and not attack. This tradition has continued over the centuries, only now they don’t lower the champagne down, they drink it.

Floating in a balloon is an amazing experience. The only sound is the blasting of the burners filling the envelope (what non-balloonists call the balloon). The entire envelope and basket is called the balloon. Slowly, the envelope fills with enough warmed air to lift-off. At first the basket bounces a tiny bit and then begins its ascent. Soon the balloon is hovering and gaining altitude. The perspective of earth begins to change. The blasting of the burners continues and the entire balloon rises higher and higher.

I’m afraid of heights and I asked myself why I was doing this. But once up in the air I began to relax and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding scenery. From Temecula you can see the Pacific Ocean, at about 4,000 feet. Generally the balloon hovers around 2,000 feet and at times dips down low enough to skim the trees.

The acres of vineyards and wilderness float past at a peaceful pace. Then it’s time to land and the basket bounces gently on the ground, then up in the air again for a moment and a final bounce to land.

There’s a saying that Leonardo de Vinci said about Hot Air Ballooning, “Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you long to return.”

This is a wonderful experience and one that should not be missed. David and Lauren Ball of Gypsy Flights are experienced balloonists and made our day extra special. At the end of each flight there is a celebration with sparkling wine, strawberries, and cheese. They offer 60 -90 minute rides all year long along with special event ballooning.