While my ongoing row with the Wine Country blimp has been covered in exhaustive detail by TMZ.com, Perez Hilton and The Economist, little is known of the fierce grudge I hold with all hot air balloons.
That is because I don’t have one.
Many a cheery morning finds me stepping out jauntily to my car, morning coffee in hand, as I prepare to unmoor the old Lincoln for a drive to the office. But what’s that I hear above me? Why, it’s the quiet chatter and gay laughter of balloon-o-nauts, just a few feet above my head, in a jolly and lively hot air balloon. I call to the children, little tow-heads all, and they come scampering out and cheer and wave at the six or seven visitors, hanging 200 feet above, with only an envelope of hot gas keeping them from crashing into my lawn. What joy! What fun!
Actually, the first time I heard the hot air balloons that waft over my house in the spring and summer I spit out my coffee onto my car, and practically wet myself . You would too if you weren’t expecting a hot air balloon to sneak up on you at 8:00 in the morning.
They lurk... everywhere...
For those of you who don’t live under hot air balloons, the Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Classic is one of the best ways to see them up close. At Windsor’s Keiser Park, just past the Town Green, over 30 balloons lift off and fill the wine country sky. A special treat is the dawn patrol when a select group gets up and takes off at 5:00 am on both Saturday and Sunday.
More info here: Hot Air Balloon Classic
Saturday June 13 and Sunday June 14
Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Classic
Keiser Park, Windsor, California
Ticket Prices: Adults—$5 pre-sale, $8 gate Children (ages 6–12)—$5 Under 6—Free