A Different High

Hot Air Ballooning - Part 2
October 2012

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride in Vegas

"We're going to have 3 hot air balloons go up tomorrow morning," Jason Abbott, the Marketing Director of Vegas Balloon Rides, told me on the phone. "If you're interested in taking pictures of the crew in action, tomorrow would be a good time to do it." 

"I'll be there!" I assured him, "Thank you!" I couldn't sleep just thinking about it. This video tells the story of what I witnessed. 

Watching all of this unfold makes me even more eager to experience a hot air balloon ride! And yes, even if I am deathly afraid of heights. Maybe soon I'll be telling the story of how I "walked with the wind." Stay tuned!

See Part 1 of my story here.

Up, Up, And...Um, Not Yet

Hot Air Balloon Rides - Part 1
October 2012

It was still pitch black outside.  Meeting time was at 6:00 a.m. but I was early.  So I waited patiently inside Starbucks with my tall latte. Soon, Jason Abbott walked in and he immediately spotted me.  "Bring it here!" he said and gave me a bear hug. "I feel like I've known you forever!"

For weeks, we've been exchanging texts and e-mails to schedule this meeting.  I was thrilled to chat with him, the pilots, and the crew. I was excited to watch a hot air balloon take flight.  This is going to be awesome!

The Vegas Balloon Rides van and trailer

Jason, the Director of Marketing for Vegas Balloon Rides, walked me to the parking lot where the van and trailer were parked. I met one of the pilots, Sheldon, who approached us showing current and forecasted wind conditions on his iPad.  He and the crew members were unsure of how the wind was going to behave that morning.

As the sun peeked in the horizon, a crew member released a regular birthday balloon.  Everyone watched the balloon toss and tumble upwards and then dart into the west.

A regular balloon is released to gauge wind speed and conditions.

Pilot Sheldon (center) with crew members Ryan and Randy (to his right)
closely watch the balloon's flight pattern.

The balloon's movement showed irregular wind motion.  "We'll have to wait it out a little bit," Sheldon declared and the other pilots agreed. They explained that it's important to have the right wind conditions for a safe hot air balloon flight...and landing. That's why they call it "Walking With The Wind."

From left: Pilot Jason, Marketing Director Jason Abbott,
and Pilot Sheldon of Vegas Balloon Rides

I was then introduced to another pilot, also named Jason. "Man, that's a great movie!" he pointed at Jason Abbott's shirt which was printed with "The Dude Abides" and Jeff Bridges' face. "The Big Lebowski!" he cried.  Jason, the pilot, has 20 years of experience hot air ballooning...and in many different places.  When asked about his most memorable flights, he mentioned flying with celebrities Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz. Or even with the late Libyan leader Khaddafy and his armed bodyguards in Africa.

He also recounted, "There was this guy who surprised his girlfriend with a balloon ride.  At first, she was so freaked out that she didn't want to go.  I had to talk her into it.  She ended up having a great time while her boyfriend was 'paralyzed' and almost didn't get to propose to her."  He laughed and remembered another former passenger, "Another guy who was going to propose tied the engagement ring with fishing lines."

Later, crew members Randy and Ryan joined our mini huddle.  "The Big Lebowski," Ryan recognized  what was on Jason Abbott's shirt.  "That's a good movie!" he said while getting ready to release another balloon. Across the parking lot, a flag was visibly waving in the wind.  He explained, "Ideally, that flag should be limp on the flagpole indicating winds are calm and suitable for a flight."

Jason Abbott pointed out that in Las Vegas, they are able to fly about 300 times out of the 365 days in a year. Thanks to favorable weather conditions almost year round in Sin City. In contrast, chances of cancellations in other cities could be as high as 50%. Vegas is a great place to go hot air ballooning.

An hour had passed and the wind speed hadn't slowed down. Sheldon knew he had to call it off.  With a heavy heart, he faced the would-be passengers and said, "In hot air ballooning, there's a saying that goes...'I'd rather be on the ground saying I wish I was up there' than being up there and saying 'I wish I was down on the ground.'  I'm sorry folks, but we won't be able to go up on the balloon today.  We'll try again tomorrow."

Not one passenger whined. Nope. No one complained. They all understood that this was for their own safety.  The guys from Vegas Balloon Rides are very experienced and highly knowledgeable in this business. And they are genuinely wonderful people! I enjoyed meeting them and watching them in action. I was reassured that I would be in good hands if I chose to experience my first hot air balloon ride with these guys. I can't wait!

The Crew of Vegas Balloon Rides
L-R: Randy, Ryan, Jason (pilot), Doug, Marketing Director Jason Abbott, Dan,
and kneeling, Sheldon (pilot)



Minus The Cobwebs

I glanced around and said, "This place looks like some Grandma's big old house." 

"And it sure smells like it too," Sandy replied. 

The house is an authentic turn-of-the-century Victorian home complete with antiques and intriguing furnishings. It's pretty. But a little creepy.  It felt like any minute the Addams Family would show up.

The living room is decorated with a collection of antiques.

The dining room already set up for breakfast.

It didn't help that we arrived past 10 p.m. at Chateau Tivoli, this bed and breakfast in San Francisco.  It was so quiet and there was no one around to greet us.  Our welcome note stated that the innkeepers were available on site only until 8 p.m.  Our husbands were still out looking for a place to park. (Yeah, welcome to San Francisco!)

When our husbands finally arrived, there was much discussion about whether we should look for another hotel to stay.  I was so embarrassed since I was the one who found this online.  But I swear, it didn't look like this at all on the website! And I felt awful since it was our friends' first experience in a B&B. But after inspecting our rooms, my husband said, "It's really not bad at all. I wouldn't mind staying here another night."

I heaved a sigh of relief. I was so afraid he'd shake his head and say, "I can't believe you booked us in a place like this!" Instead, he grinned and told me, "This would make for a really good story!"

 

Our room had a four poster bed with white curtains hanging from its curtain rods.

The sitting area in our bedroom

Detail on our bedroom ceiling

Though the bathroom was only 2 steps away from our bed, I held off from my usual bathroom trip in the middle of the night.  I instructed my husband to hold me all night long.  I was determined to keep my eyes closed until the next morning.

Thankfully the rest of the night was uneventful.  No paranormal activity whatsoever. When we all met up with our friends Sandy and John the next day, we admitted that the accommodations were actually comfortable.  So we all agreed to stay one more night.

That evening, when we returned from our day trip to Napa, we scampered around like mischievous kids and took lots of photos.  Silly, silly!

Hubby in the living room area

That's me taking a seat by the window

Sandy and John goofing around

Elaborate detail on the hallway ceiling

Chateau Tivoli Bed and Breakfast

By the time we made it downstairs on our last day here, guests were already having their morning meal in the dining room.  I would have wanted to try what they served for champagne breakfast but the rest of my party wanted to go someplace else.

We had the chance to speak to the innkeeper when we were settling our bill.  He's a warm and animated fellow who told us that this house is 120 years old. Before leaving, we flipped through the pages of the guestbook. We found that this B&B has welcomed guests from as far away as Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom and all the past guests commented on how much they adore this place. 

Chateau Tivoli in San Francisco, California

Whispering Walls

Those who have been following this blog know that this is my third blogpost about Napa. (Here's the first and here's the second.) With an abundance of wineries here, you couldn’t possibly explore them all in one visit.  You just have to keep coming back to discover new ones.  Every Napa trip is a new adventure.

This time, hubs and I were joined by another couple (Sandy and John).  We were all determined to go to Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga.

Castello di Amorosa (Italian for "Castle of Love")

While this castello was inspired by an authentic 13^th century Tuscan castle, it was built very recently. It could have fooled me.  The architectural details make it appear as though it was built in the medieval times. This replica has everything you would find in a real castle:  towers, loggias, a courtyard, and a great hall.  It even has a drawbridge and a moat.  And a torture chamber. 

The Courtyard

Loggia (corridor)

The Chapel

The Great Hall

Acting like royalty inside the Great Hall.

View from one of the towers

Dario Sattui -- of the same V Sattui Winery fame -- had a self-proclaimed obsession with castles and this was the result of his passion. (You can read more about Castello di Amorosa's history here). 

Construction of this ambitious project began in January 1995.  The castello finally opened its doors to the public in April 7, 2007.  It is a 121,000 square foot castle with 107 different rooms with four levels above ground and four underground levels which are for barrel aging cellars and wine tastings.

The Grand Barrel Room

This is where they hold some wine tasting.

Gotta love this!

At the end of the tour and wine tasting, we were led to the souvenir shop.  Of course! While browsing at the merchandise, hubby called me to an area under the cross-vaulted ceiling. He stood in one corner right in front of where two archways intersect.  

Can you see him here standing in the corner where the arches intersect? 

Then he asked me to stand on the opposite side, diagonally across and about 15 feet away from him.  He instructed me to face the wall and keep my ear close to the spine where the arches meet.  When I was ready, he faced the wall in his corner and said with normal volume, “Can you hear me clearly?"

I nodded still  a bit unsure of what this was all about.  He then explained, "No one else in the room can quite hear me other than you. The sound travels across the ceiling from my side of the wall to yours.  It’s called the Whispering Walls.”

With bug eyes and a dropped jaw, I turned around to face him, “That is so cool!”

Note:  I’m not sure that I explained this phenomenon very well but I found a link on the web that also demonstrates this:  http://www.sonicwonders.org/?p=426

Castello di Amorosa vineyard

The Otter Cove

The Old St. Angela Inn
Pacific Grove, CA
September 2 - 3, 2012

Who doesn't love Monterey and Pacific Grove? This is why hubby and I keep coming back here. Of course, the ever-reliable TripAdvisor led me to this adorable Bed and Breakfast.  I immediately fell for its charm just by browsing their website.  And I loved it even more once I got there.

We were appointed the Otter Cove Room which has its own entrance from the garden.

Our French country cottage-inspired bedroom is just darling. It is sprinkled with antique furnishings and the bed fittingly accented with a cute teddy bear. It's quite comfortable, well-kept, and very clean.

My favorite feature of this cozy room is the bay window overlooking the garden.

Somehow I convinced hubby to pose by the window seat for this picture.  He was distracted and couldn't be peeled away from his cell phone. I doubt he even remembers this moment.  Men!

The garden courtyard, though petite, provides areas for quiet time and relaxation: a bistro set by the mini waterfall or the small seating around the fire pit.

There is something so peaceful about this place.  After reading more about its history, I learned that it was originally a country home in 1910 and was later converted into a convent in 1920.

Breakfast here is another pleasurable experience. At The Old St. Angela Inn, a breakfast buffet is served in a solarium that also overlooks the garden and patio. I love being washed in natural morning sunlight and I always enjoy a big breakfast so this is perfect for me.  A gracious lady warmly greeted us and said, "This morning we have egg strata with roasted bell peppers and artichokes." Did I already say that they also served scrumptious apricot muffins? I didn't leave a single crumb on my plate. Mom would have been proud of me.

Another big plus about this place is its prime location.  It is literally a block away from the water.   

In no time, you can take a leisurely stroll along the shoreline to soak up the beauty of Monterey Bay. Or chum around with the "locals."

Off The Grid

Almay Ranch
August 31 - September 2, 2012

This is only a piece of the "square mile of absolute heaven" where we stayed.

I come from a large family and it's not easy to find a vacation spot that caters to all of our needs. But this year, we discovered the perfect getaway destination. Almay Ranch in Coffee Creek, California is a secluded 655-acre property nestled in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. During our visit, we had the entire place to ourselves.

With no cell service or WiFi in the area, we were completely unplugged from the modern world.  There was a big screen TV but you could only watch DVDs.  There is no cable connection nor network TV available.  So for three days, all we did was kick back, enjoy the outdoors, and get back to nature.

The ranch includes a large 2 story house with 6 bedrooms/3 baths and a one-bedroom tree house that accommodated all 20 of us plus 2 dogs. The main house overlooks a lake where we took turns in the canoes and paddle-boats.

There were so many options available for recreation.  Within the ranch is a private 9-hole golf course, several hiking trails, lakes, ponds, and creeks.  A short walk (or you could say a quick bide ride) from the main house is a wide open meadow where all of us, kids and adults alike, played a little bit of everything:  baseball, football, soccer, frisbee. For giggles, we even played the egg toss game.  That was a riot!

There's also a mini golf course, an area for horseshoe toss, and badminton. I'm serious. You couldn't possibly run out of things to do here. Further out, there was even a big fire pit where we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores.

Ah yes, life is good! We spent a good deal just relaxing and doing our favorite things. Top on the list:  eating, taking a nap, having a nice glass of wine, stretching out on the chaise lounge, and soaking in the gorgeous views. We took a ton of pictures. The surroundings were just incredible. I mean, just look at these images.

This place is so conducive to bonding that I was almost sad to leave at the end of our long weekend. But I know that even if we didn't choose to come here, it would all be the same. We already are a tight knit family. So it doesn't matter where we decide to go.  As long as we're all together, we'll definitely have a fun time.