Birthday Recap

I really need to write on this blog a little more frequently. My birthday was June 29th and I'm just writing about it.

Anyway, I asked for a very memorable 30th birthday, you know, something to set it apart from all the others. Sometimes, you get just what you ask for.

Since we live in Cali now and can't really drop the kids off with family or friends, this birthday thing was a little more difficult. My husband asked what I wanted to do but I wasn't sure. So, he asked how I felt about a hot air balloon ride. I am very afraid of flying in an airplane. But then I thought I would give it a try. I flew with Balloons Above the Valley out of Napa. We were supposed to fly over Napa's vineyards and come back to Napa afterwards for a champagne brunch.

Morning of June 29th: I had to meet the other riders at the Napa General Store at 5:30....YES 5:30!!! I am so not a morning person but I was looking forward to this adventure so it wasn't too bad. When I got there, I was told that we wouldn't fly out of Napa because of fog. Instead, we were flying from a place about an hour away. There are 16 people per balloon plus the pilot. The representative assured us the ride would still be wonderful. So, off I went in a van with a whole bunch of strangers.

Before I continue, I must admit that the flight was wonderful, the view was beautiful, and I barely even felt the movement of the balloon. The only bad thing about the actual flight is that it is indeed hot in there and loud.

Once we took off, the pilot revealed that he wasn't very familiar with the area and didn't know where to land. So, he talked to other pilots from the same company and a different one about where to land. He decided to follow a pilot from a different company and landed on what appeared to be a farm.

After approximately an hour of waiting and being told that the vans were on their way to pick us up, we were told to go have a seat up at this cabin on this farm.



No one had any cell coverage. Our guides broke the lock to get us in and we sat on this porch of what appeared to be an abandoned farm. We then watched as our pilot stole a truck off of the property to go look around. Soon, all of the pilots were gone, leaving the passengers sitting with no water and no food. Some other riders managed to find a bottle of distilled water that was still sealed in the garage and passed it around the group. I didn't get desperate enough to drink out of the same container as a bunch of strangers. 5 hours later, the guide came back down on the truck and said that we had been found.


Instead of shuttling people up to the spot, we were told to start walking approximately 3 miles up this steep hill towards the gate. We then had to jump the gate to get the vans. Our van had some water bottles in the front seat but before they were offered to us, the employees took them. We got back to the meeting spot about 11 hours later where we were told the owner would meet us. She did not show. We were then told a "Customer Service Representative" was coming- A lady showed up and handed us our pictures and acted as if nothing was wrong.

I called the owner for about a week before getting a returned call. The only compensation she would make is either a $50 refund (the cost was about $200) or a free flight some other time.

Fun times!