Cool! I've always wanted to do that.

Nice! I've seen those balloons here at the festivals. Must be an incredible view and THRILLING!

Did that on a safari to Africa. Awesome experience.

Wow, does that ever look like fun - adding hot air balloon ride to my bucket list!

The next town over has hot air ballooning. If I'm going to work early in the morning sometimes I see the balloon floating over the paddocks or even landing in one near the road. It is so pretty.

Last year there was a national balloon festival there with dozens of balloons in the sky for three days. It was gorgeous!

I'm too terrified of heights to go on a balloon ride. I'd be in a catatonic ball on the floor of the basket :-( But it does look cool!

My wife is normally terrified of heights, but she said it didn't bother her at all.

Some of the other balloons that were out were the local balloon club having a friendly competition where they take off from an 'X' at the airport, and be out a minimum of 20 minutes and then try to land back as close to the 'X' as possible. They find different wind directions at different elevations, and use that to go in their desired direction.

My wife is normally terrified of heights, but she said it didn't bother her at all.

I am also afraid of heights. But as long as I am in something, like a roller coaster car or a gondola I am fine. I would love to do a balloon ride.

Your wife rides horses,correct? The funny thing I have found is although I cannot walk on a mountain trail anywhere near a drop without breaking into a quivering mass I can be astride a horse on a narrow trail with a sheer drop and feel quite safe. Strange.

I am white-knuckled on a Ferris Wheel. I don't know how I would do in a balloon gondola.

I have always wanted to do that, lucky you!!!

I've always wanted to do that. What fun. Your pictures are great.

Beautiful photos! Looks like a great ride!

What a great photo essay! We always look for balloons during our city's balloon jubilee on Memorial Day.

Now which one are you?

We did that in Steamboat Springs CO, it was great fun. We also did the champagne thing afterwards, supposedly it's a tradition. We tried to put down next to the river so we could change occupants in the basket and we almost got dumped into the river, it was the most exciting thing and we had a great time. The river happened to be right next to the very busy road so we were trying to put down between the road and the river and we were doing great until the wind picked up and we had to take off again. Our balloon was yellow red and blue, also. It was fun helping set it up and take it down.

What fun! One question. If you were inSo. Cal., where was that overpass with so little traffic??? One reason we left there was the horrible traffic.

Never had a desire to do it myself, but always get excited when I see one. Did go to the balloon festival in Albuquerque one year. That was great. Thanks for sharing. Fun to look at but don't want to do it. :-)))

Nice photos! I would love to do that especially up in Napa. Float over the wine country. Maybe someday.

wanto, Sunday early morning would have an overpass looking like that.

:)

Beautiful photos! However - that's one thing I'm pretty sure I will NEVER do. I know - never say never, but it's not high on my bucket list.

Great pictures of your adventure!!

Looks like a lot of fun. Glad you & your wife had a great time.

want to retire, ballooning is usually done out in the boondocks. Most of the photos show fields and farmland, including the photo of the freeway overpass.

Looks like you had a fun adventure! I cannot decide if I would like it, or hate it. I've enjoyed the orange balloon ride in Irvine, but yours is a whole new ballgame.

wantoretire_did, I know the answer to your question. It is I-215 (Escondido Freeway) and Redlands Ave, in the Perris area. :)

Beautiful pictures! I love hot air ballooning! I was fortunate to have been given to me for a birthday gift....and would do it again! It was on my bucket list...then did parasailing...and next month am doing the "I fly", which is supposed to be like sky-diving, which is not recommended due to my disabilities and age.

Thanks all. A couple of years ago friends in Charlotte, NC, had planned to go ballooning while we were visiting, but the morning they had scheduled it was too windy so the company cancelled. I was relieved at that time.

This time I was very nervous as we were getting into the balloon, but after that I was fine. Our balloon was the red, blue and yellow Wild West balloon which held 8 people counting the pilot. The other two in our group the unicorn balloon and the cowboy balloon each held 12 people.

I was going to say we were in the Lake Elsinore area, but gyr_falcon's answer is more precise.

Sweet_betsy, In the last photo, I'm the one on the left.

watchme_lol, my wife does ride, nearly every day. I think I'm opposite from you, I could hike along a precipice with no problem, but to be on a horse or donkey or whatever in the same location would terrify me. I guess I've seen them be frightened by something (or by nothing) and spook and jump to the side often enough that I'd be sure they would do that and plummet with me on top.

Oh no. I get queezy just thinking about it.

I'm not afraid of heights on a tall building or DC10. But that's too close for comfort. I'm very accident prone & would accidentally fall out somehow.

I love looking at them in the sky though. Very beautiful.

We did this 30 yrs ago on our "honeymoon" the only down side was getting off the ground. We had to return three different times to get a day with the wind calm enough to go up. Luck of the draw--most I know do not have this experience. It was awesome but DH is 6'3" and didn't appreciate the burner in his ear so we never repeated the experience.

Looks like a lot of fun! And TY for sharing the photos.