Hot Air Balloon Adventure

Dan surprised me with a Hot Air Balloon ride for my 35th birthday. I was super excited and insisted on going, even though I was battling a terrible bronchial infection. Here is my first tip regarding ballooning, don't go when sick. I was so filled with various medications that I got motion sickness on the balloon ( it was a completely gentle ride) and nearly puked over the side. Luckily, I didn't, because that would have led to a memorable ride for all aboard. Other than being sick, it was a beautiful, amazing experience. A huge thanks to Dan for making my birthday special and allowing me to knock ballooning off of my bucket list! We did the balloon ride in Perris California, a city nicknamed the "Sky Diving Capital of the US". Since the ballooning required such an early start, we drove out the night before and slept at the Holiday Inn Express. Here is my other tip, if you are doing something fun in Perris, just get up early and drive. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the hotel, our room was nice and the staff was very nice..Perris is the problem. We dared to venture out at night for fast food and it's scary town. So much in fact, that we checked out of the hotel at 5am, rather than coming back to get more sleep after our ballooning. Perris is not a city that we wanted to spend any additional time exploring.

The balloon company is called Above The Rest and is owned by a very efficient woman named Dawn. We met up at the Perris Valley airfield at five-fifteen in the morning. I think Dan just wanted me to see a beautiful sunrise on my birthday. He's been trying desperately to turn me from a night owl into a morning person.

We were placed in a mini van and taken out to a field to set up the balloons. We were told to wear closed toed shoes. I am sure this in care of the emergency, but the field was covered in ant hills and snake holes.

Once the balloons were puffed up, they let us take pictures inside. Here is a shot of me, trying my best not too look completely sick.

We even had a guy suit up and sky dive off of the side of our basket!

Here are a few more pictures of the prep.

Here is our balloon driver. Each balloon held about eight people without being cramped. The sky diver was on our side, so it became more roomy once he jumped!

It was very noisy when he was using the flames, but once we were up in the air, it was mostly quite and serene. The views even made Perris seem like a nice place.

Here is the sky diver falling towards the earth.

Landing was interesting. Apparently, the balloons land wherever they can, even in the middle of a neighborhood street.

It was a very gentle landing. In fact, the entire experience was very gentle and felt safe. Other than being sick, I had a fantastic time. Here is a shot of the balloon being put away, while in the middle of the street.

We were driven back to the starting point for a toast with mimosas and a light breakfast of sweet rolls and fruit. A great experience and I would highly recommend going on a balloon ride ( or jumping off one) with Above The Rest.

We saw this little critter when we were heading out.

Exploring Angeles National Forest

Dan and I went for a Sunday afternoon drive in Angeles National Forest. This time, we went beyond the Mt. WIlson turnoff and went deeper into the forest. We even hit areas with signs that told us that we could not park without an Adventure Pass. We had no idea what that was, but figured that it was something that we ought to buy. We had quite the driving adventure, but maybe next time we can get the pass and do some hiking or maybe even try camping. Truthfully, we are more the "Let's Camp at the Four Seasons and rough it with room service" types, but the idea of pitching a tent in the forest does appeal to our sense of adventure! It also appeals to our sense of shopping for gadgets. Camping equipment is pretty darn cool. Here we are, only thirty miles from home, yet it feels like a completely different world.

We found a dirt road and decided that the Smart car could handle it.

The road looks wide in the shot, but it got narrow and bumpy. Of course, the Smart handled it just fine. Who needs a truck? Not us!

Looking up at a pretty tree while on the dirt road.

Burnt trees while on the trail. We were in a fairly remote area and didn't see too many other people.

It was closed, but we stopped by the visitors center, which was a cool looking building.

We encountered some unusual signs. I learned about Vetter Towers, Sunday drives can be educational!

We all drove passed this dive. Next time, we might join the bikers for a burger and beer.

I still can't believe that all of this is so close to home. There is still so much that we have yet to explore.

One last picture, the Smart needed a bath after all of the dirt roads, so we took her to a car wash in La Canada. Pretty rainbow colored soap! I always revert to a five year old when I go through the car washes.

Celebrating the 4th in a New Way

With the exception of two years, I have always spent the 4th of July with my family. The two years that I skipped out, were due to having to work, the only acceptable excuse for missing my Aunt and Uncle's annual pool party. It used to be a big deal, between 30-40 people, BBQ, pool volleyball and fireworks. The party has dwindled over the years and is now more of a small gathering rather than a party. Still, attendance on my part was considered mandatory, I've never enjoyed it. I love the people who come, but a whole day of sitting around the pool, helping out and making small talk is just not my idea of a fun way to spend the 4th. Additionally, the mandatory attendance just irks me. Somehow, the 4th has been elevated to a family holiday, near to the same level as Thanksgiving or Christmas. This year, I decided to make a stand. It resulted in a bit of family drama and a fight, but I just wasn't going to do the normal 4th of July routine. I asserted my independence. This refusal led to a day without plans and an adventure!

For as long as I have known him, Dan has been wanting to drive up route two and into Angeles National Park. Growing up in Glendale, the Angeles Forrest is in my backyard, but I had never explored it. We fueled up on pancakes and hit the road with no particular destination in mind.

Here is one of our Smart Cars on Angeles Crest Highway. Zippy and a convertible, a perfect partner on our expedition.

Beautiful winding roads and nearly empty of other drivers, we decided to head up to Mount WIlson. Growing up in Southern California, I heard mention of Mount Wilson constantly on the news. The "Mount Wilson Cam" is always talked about with the weather reports. However, Mount Wilson was a vague concept, because I never knew or bothered to find out where it was located. Let me tell you that is was worth the drive.

Look what we saw at the top of Mount Wilson

And beautiful wildflowers at the head of a hiking trail. Next time we will come prepared to go on a hike.

Lastly, a memorial marker that has a bit of a tie in to the 4th of July with the D.A.R.. Speaking of which, I remember as a child that my mom was thinking of joining the D.A.R., which thinking back now, just seems odd.

After our driving adventure, we ended up having our own Hot Dog eating contest on the patio and washing it down with bucket loads of wine. The best 4th of July ever! ( Dan even said so and he naturally makes a point NOT to celebrate the day)