My research uncovered three places in the desert that could facilitate my first balloon ride:<\/p>\n I decided that \u2018HAVENFUN\u2019<\/strong> was not going to be my choice \u2013 I want my ballooning people to be very serious about me floating on the breeze thousands of feet above the earth. \u2018Magical Adventure\u2019<\/strong> also didn\u2019t appeal to me as when I think of magic I think of things disappearing and I definitely didn\u2019t want to disappear. So I settled on \u2018Balloons Above\u2019<\/strong> figuring that that is where balloons are supposed to be.<\/p>\n There were also options as to when I could take my first balloon ride, sunrise or sunset. I opted for sunset based on the chilling logic that if my balloon went down in a fiery heap that I\u2019d have had one more day on earth. The ad for the balloon ride read as follows:<\/p>\n See the sunset over Palm Desert<\/strong> from a hot air balloon \u2013 up to 3,500 feet<\/strong> in the air. Hot air ballooning at sunset<\/strong> brings a whole slew of new sensations and sites to see. <\/em>(The sensation I was feeling wasn\u2019t new at all; it was that old sensation of wanting to throw up)<\/p>\n Your pilot for the day is a seasoned veteran who\u2019s flown countless hours and can almost seemingly control the wind. <\/em>(Our pilot looks like he was seasoned with Jack Daniels last night. Control the wind? He could barely keep his hands from shaking)<\/p>\n Following your journey of about one hour, you\u2019ll land for a Champagne toast<\/strong> \u2013 a common ritual of hot air ballooning that commemorates the wonderful flight. <\/em>(I think our pilot was still recovering from his Champagne toast from his sunrise trip)<\/p>\n The preparation for a balloon flight is a bit unnerving; the balloon is lying deflated and lifeless on the ground, I was hoping this wouldn\u2019t be what it looks like when we landed, until they bring over what looks like a \u2018flamethrower\u2019<\/strong> and point it at the balloon and fire at it until it fills the balloon with propane.\u00a0 My research into propane read as follows:\u00a0Propane<\/b>\u00a0is a stable and predictable\u00a0fuel<\/b>, but highly\u00a0<\/em>volatile.<\/em>\u00a0<\/b>Highly volatile!!!!\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m amazed that the whole thing doesn\u2019t go up in flames, which to be honest I was secretly hoping for as it would then cancel the ride.<\/p>\n With the balloon fully \u2018gassed\u2019<\/strong> and hoping our pilot wasn\u2019t, I looked at the other people who were climbing into the basket and wondered, \u2018Are these the people with whom I will be spending my last minutes o So, what was it really like? I have no idea; although the balloon sites and information above is real, I never got close to a balloon. Balloons have no wings, no motor, no parachutes,<\/strong> you\u2019re being held in the air by what amounts to nothing more than a large fart and you\u2019re at the mercy of the wind.\u00a0 \u00a0And the only<\/em> thing I would know about the pilot with whom I’m entrusting my life to is that he cannot<\/em> <\/strong>control the wind.\u00a0 You could take off in Palm Desert and end up in the Sahara Desert for crying out loud!<\/p>\n So I guess the only thing full of hot air was me. Maybe I’ll go someday . . . I\u2019ll keep you posted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow (After Suzanne’s touching blog last week, I’m again responsible for taking us from the sublime to the ridiculous) I had never taken a ride in a hot air balloon; no reason, the opportunity had just not presented … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/balloon-sunset-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>I had never taken a ride in a hot air balloon; no reason, the opportunity had just not presented itself, until last weekend when we were in Palm Desert.<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/balloon-on-ground-2.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Balloon-flame-thrower.jpeg\")
<\/a>Bring a camera to capture every moment <\/em>(as it could be your last!).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Balloon-basket.jpeg\")
<\/a>n earth?\u2019<\/em> My heart was pounding just thinking about floating on the wind in this wicker basket 3,500 feet above the desert floor.<\/p>\n