Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival offering flights over picturesque wine country

TEMECULA, CA – It is the most picturesque flight over Southern California Wine Country. A hot air balloon flight during the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival June 1-3, whisks you over the pristine landscape of Lake Skinner in a corner 14,000 acres of a multi-species reserve. Outside of the preserve rolling hills of vineyards fill the vista – a protected agricultural wine district.

The flight is magical. But, what a Festival flight gives the passenger is something they can’t get any other day of the week – a chance to fly with 40 other balloons.  It is a photographer’s dream – the perfect setting for proposals – the ultimate “check” to a bucket list wish.

Balloon flights from the Festival are scheduled for 6:30 a.m. (time approximate, weather permitting) Saturday and Sunday of the event.  Occasionally cloud cover may force the balloons to launch offsite and at times providing another unique experience of landing at the Festival.

Festival guests can catch a flight for $225 which includes admission, a champagne, juice or water toast, souvenir certificate, a 3-hour adventure and a 45-60-minute flight. Book these flights in advance online at www.hotairtours.com or by calling 1-800-965-2122.

For guests who want to “try” their wings without letting go of terra firma, the Festival offers free tethered rides Saturday and Sunday morning after the launch.  These balloon rides are about 10 minutes long and free, thanks to a sponsorship from Toyota.

Late sleepers and families often enjoy the close-up view that the Friday and Saturday evening balloon glow offers.  This balloon spectacular starts at sunset (approximately 8:30 p.m.) when up to a dozen balloons inflate in the Wine Gardens but remain tethered to the ground.

As the colors fade from the evening sunset, the balloons begin their “glow” by simultaneously igniting the burners.  Placed up against a black velvet sky, the luminous orbs of colorful canopies appear to dance to the beat of selected music.  A crowd favorite, the balloon glow highlight occurs when the entire crowd shouts their plea of “glow” and the entire field alights with color.

Sponsored by Riverside County EDA, Southern California Toyota Dealers and the City of Temecula, the event is held annually at Lake Skinner Recreation area in Wine Country.  For more information contact the Festival at (951) 676-6713 or visit the website at www.tvbwf.com.

Submitted by Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival

 

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Trevor Montgomery, 46, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations, including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook, as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.