Napa, California
Flying on a hot-air balloon required rescheduling about two times. We meet at around 6:30 in the morning by a coffee shop, then relocate to where the balloons and baskets are located. The crew was already blowing up the balloons with the hot air. We had to climb into the basket. It’s like a giant basket with thick stands weaved together. Tanks are located in the center of the basket to feed the fire for the hot air. People were in different compartments in the basket so no one could easily hop from one side to the next. Each basket fit around 10 people, while other smaller baskets, around 4. I was a bit scared of the thought of being high above the ground on a balloon at first, but once we were up it was smooth sailing.
It was very peaceful and quiet, next to no noise. The only time it was noisy was when they turned on the burners to blow more heat into the balloon. It was seriously floating in the air the entire time until we had to land.
We landed on a field of grass and did not hit the ground hard. We slowed down enough to have a decent landing. Some baskets capsized upon landing, but it wasn’t painful as almost everyone in the basket laughed at the situation. I didn’t want the ride to end. It’s probably the smoothest ride above grade.
vange 