DO YOU HAVE A
BUCKET LIST?
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I watched the movie, The
Bucket List, this past summer.
Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman co-starred as two terminally ill men on a road trip with a
wish list of things to do before they "kick the bucket". After watching them tandem sky dive, I
thought to myself, “that looks like something that I would like to try once.”
I didn’t think any more of that movie or my comment until I received an
email from Diane (Wednesday Word featured author and family friend.) She was celebrating a milestone birthday at
the end of August, and I had just celebrated my own milestone birthday at the
beginning of August. She actually
wrote in her email that she had thought about a tandem sky dive to celebrate
her Big Birthday. I couldn’t believe I was reading those words! Diane and I live 2000 miles apart, so we
exchange emails periodically. She didn’t even know that I had seen the
“Bucket List.” I wrote back and told
her that I had recently thought the same thing – to sky dive at some point in
my life just to experience the exhilaration and thrill. As we wrote the words back and forth, we realized that saying those words
and doing them are two completely different actions and decided that perhaps
a Hot Air Balloon Ride might be a better choice for us. That was the beginning of a planned birthday weekend that took on a life
of its own. Before I knew it, I had a
round trip ticket from We were booked for a sunrise launch in
As the seven-story balloon filled up, we took pictures and videos and I couldn’t help but wonder how and when we would get into the basket. I thought for sure there would be a step stool that would magically appear, or as Diane thought, perhaps there would be a door on the basket so we could just walk in. Oh No! You can see in the picture the teenie tiny cutouts in the basket where an adult shoe is supposed to fit to help us climb in. Oh no... not at all... My shoe got stuck in that teenie tiny hole. Getting into the basket was much more of an adventure than the ride itself!
When the balloon was filled and started to rise, the pilot shouted,
“Everyone in, I found that there was no reason to be concerned about the cold morning air, as the heat from the flame that controlled the balloon's altitude was quite warm, and in fact actually somewhat hot on the top of my head and back of my neck. Mike said that wearing a hat or hood would offer protection if desired, but I was going for the Total Experience, scorched hair or not!
The balloon rises with the
roar of the open burner and then floats in silence when it is closed,
drifting gracefully with the wind as we viewed Temecula’s spectacular
landscape. I didn’t feel any wind at all; I was a part of it, barely
realizing I was moving. There were many moments when it felt like we were
‘parked’ in the air and not moving an inch.
We spotted a hawk on a telephone pole and a deer running through the
trees. We were in our own little world
where only the birds fly. It was quiet
and serene. We viewed lakes, citrus
groves, wineries and estate homes from our unparalleled view in the air. The many other balloons that were in the
immediate area made for phenomenal picture postcard opportunities. I had only previously seen photos like
this. Now I was actually in one.
Our pilot, Mike had many years
experience, even though he made the customary jokes that he knows how to make
the balloon rise, but hasn’t yet perfected the landing, etc. Our flight lasted one hour and 20 minutes
as Mike tried to pick the perfect place to land while his crew drove around
below waiting for final instructions.
We soared to an altitude of 1200 feet and I never had any concerns for
my safety. I was too busy relishing
the moment and the magnificent view from the sky. The landing was
unbelievably gentle. If I had closed
my eyes, I would not have known that we had landed. I felt nothing. That was a big surprise, as I thought we
would be carried along and at least scrape the ground or bounce a
little. The ground crew was there
grabbing the ropes that hung from the basket as the balloon was literally
pulled from the sky. Of course I knew
that I had to climb back out of that basket again, but it seemed to be easier
getting out than getting in. We got
back into the limousine and were escorted back to the winery where we met
earlier at 5:30 a.m. After each landing there
is a 225 year old tradition that is always followed, a champagne toast. Many people believe this is offered as
nothing more than a celebratory activity, but there is a tradition behind it. In November 1783 brothers Joseph-Michel and
Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier
participated in the first manned
flight in a hot air balloon. They took champagne with them to celebrate their
flight. They took off from the center of So, we raised our glasses for the toast, and listened to The Balloonist's Prayer -
"The winds have welcomed you with softness. The Sun has blessed you with his warm hands. You have flown so high and so well, that God has joined you in your laughter, and has set you gently back again in to the loving
arms of Mother Earth."
Somewhere between Heaven
and Mother Earth I had quite an adventure.
Something I had thought about doing for years, but the opportunity had
never presented itself like it did this particular summer. It all came together for a reason, for a
purpose. My spirits soared as I gently
floated, weightless, timeless and free – one with the wind. There's something remarkably adventurous
about having the course of your travels charted by the wind as you glide over
trees and rooftops as if in a dream, but knowing you are awake and having one
heck of great time! © Patty "For
we can fly we can fly
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