As this is our “Up in the Air” year (gliding, hot air balloon ride, and skydiving), we chose the package offered by “Platypus Tours:” Hot air balloon ride in the morning followed by a day touring the “Wine Country.” It was a dream fulfilled!
It was still dark when the "Napa Valley Balloon" van pulled up at our hotel at 5 am sharp. Wide awake with excitement, we didn’t know what to expect. Our driver informed us that the fog which blanketed Napa Valley, would not lift, and so we’d need to drive to their alternate site about 50 minutes away. Although we were told that we could choose not to fly (no charge or fees to our card), we were not about to miss this opportunity and agreed to the alternate location. “Going with the flow,” we began our journey.
After a few other stops at hotels to pick up passengers, we drove to the “Domaine Chandon Winery” for a light “Continental Breakfast” and briefing. Nicely done, we thought this was the breakfast that was included with our package. Wrong! (More on this later.) The briefing was simple. The pilots described the procedure, formed us into groups, and we drove through the hills and into the next valley.
It was exciting to drive up to the airport and see several balloons, in various stages of inflation, waiting to whisk us away. Cameras in hand, we climbed into our balloon with 6 others and Gabe, our pilot. In a matter of minutes, we were airborn. There was no sensation of even moving since we were actually riding with the air current! The farmland, mountains, and lakes below were spectacular! Wanting to share this with our families back home, I snapped a shot with my iPhone and emailed it then and there.
After our delightful flight, we returned to the “Domaine Chandon Winery” to enjoy our REAL breakfast and to wait for “Platypus Tours” to pick us up for our all day “Wine Country” tour. A nice spread of eggs, muffins, bacon (the best I’ve ever had!), potatoes, fruit and champagne was laid out and we gladly indulged. Dan, the photographer, worked his magic and had the photos he took of us available for a very reasonable price. This experience was not only first class, it was first rate. Don’t hesitate to take the plunge, make your reservations, and be swept away into the heavens!