I’m neither a fisherman nor a hunter, so it takes a lot to get me out of bed at 4:15 a.m.
But rising before dawn for my first-ever, hot-air balloon ride? Now, that’s worth shaking off the slumber.
Between April and Halloween, Vista Balloon Adventures offers gentle and glorious floats above Oregon’s wine country. Vista operates every morning except Tuesdays from its field in Newberg, Ore., weather permitting.
Arriving at a field for the 5:15 a.m. check-in time, the darkness was punctuated by the headlights from a van convoy towing seven gondolas and bins of packed balloons. Like worker ants, a couple dozen crewmembers unfurled the great balloons, cranked on the burners, and filled them with hot air.
Oregon’s weather can be pretty cool and damp, especially in the spring, so dressing in plenty of layers is the smart choice. Our pilot, Roger Anderson, had few instructions – mostly to enjoy the ride and to not jump out under any circumstances. Apparently, when the gondola is on the ground, some take it upon themselves to jump out, not knowing that a balloon sometimes has a mind of its own and can rise unexpectedly.
According to Vista, the company has maintained a perfect safety record since opening in 1989. Its staff always calls its guests the day before to check in with them about the weather. In the event of a sturdy Oregon rain, blustery wind or dense fog, the company may have to postpone the flight to another day that fits the customer’s schedule. Otherwise, they will refund 100 percent of the booking deposit.
Fortunately, our morning was cool and clear. Five of us climbed into our gondola without any idea of what was in store for us when it took off. Would it lurch? Would our stomachs be left on the ground?
Before we knew it, we rose as through we were on a pillow of clouds, the quiet punctuated by the occasional blast of the burner. We kept rising until we found a wind stream that took us within a whisper of the red-tail hawk’s nest at the very top of a tree.
All six of us had plenty of room to stand in the gondola, to look over the side and marvel at the scenery: The patchwork quilt of the vineyards, the town of Newberg, a rustic-looking paper mill and the dark ribbon of the Willamette River spread out beneath us.
Although I was surprised at how high we went — about 1,000 feet — I was amazed at how low we also could go as Anderson piloted his craft so that our gondola literally skimmed along the surface of the Willamette River. Pilots control the direction of the balloon by varying the altitude, as the winds go in different directions.
Fellow passenger, Andre Strelnikov, had been holding a secret the entire ride. With the golden, morning light setting a perfect ambiance, Andre turned to his girlfriend, Alina Polyak, bent down on one knee in the gondola, and asked her to be his wife. Halting of breath and smiling, she said, “Yes,” and they embraced as we applauded.
Then Anderson hit the burner, we rose over another ridge to our landing spot in a field, about three miles away from our launch point. When we came down, the ground crew met us with their vans and trailers, and set about pushing the air out of the vinyl balloons and rolling them up.
Back at the launch site, at the completion of the ride, Vista cooks a bountiful brunch: Breakfast burritos, brownies, cherries, salads and a mimosa or two. Nobody goes away hungry.
How wonderful was the trip? Roger Anderson, a pilot since 1989, became so enamored with ballooning after his first trip, he jokes that the second flight cost him $20,000 (to buy his own balloon).
Vista Balloon rides are a favorite of wine country visitors, receiving plenty of referrals from the Allison Hotel in Newberg, as well as the Dundee Manor and Black Walnut in Dundee.
Vista Balloon Adventures launches several balloons from Sportsman Airpark. It offers flights Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, weekends and holidays. Flight season is April 1st through the first weekend in October, weather permitting. Rates are $189 per person ($170 for a group of four or more). Call 503/625–7385 or 800/622–2309, or go to www.vistaballoon.com.
Deston Nokes is a Portland-based writer who frequently writes about Pacific Northwest travel and golf. He can be reached at www.destonnokes.com.
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