Destinations

DESTINATIONS

Adventures Aloft

Napa Valley, California

AT FIRST IT WOULD SEEM that motorcycles don’t have much in common with hot-air balloons, those romantic bags of heated air that hang serenely from the sky. But don’t tell that to Chuck Foster, who runs Adventures Aloft, a ballooning company that gives aerial tours of California’s wine-growing Napa Valley. Clad in his flight gear of leather jacket and jeans, Foster could just as easily be a motorcyclist. Which, it turns out, he is. He rides as often as possible, although he’s kept busy seven days a week, weather permitting, piloting a wicker basket full of people who’ve each paid $145 for the pleasure of an hour-long flight over the grapevines.

Now, that much money for a ride in something that can’t do a loop-theloop or barrel-roll may seem daunting, but a balloon ride really is something special. The view from the gondola is spectacular as the earlymorning sun streams across the vineyards and the Napa Valley slides majestically below, the only sound the occasional roar of the burner as it heats the air inside the balloon. Finish the morning with a complimentary champagne brunch, and you’ve got the makings of a truly memorable experience.

If that’s not enough, Foster has prepared a special motorcyclist’s map of the Napa Valley, which, he says, lists “routes and their degrees of ‘twistiness,’ accommodations, services, distances and high-enforcement areas.” That way, you can add an afternoon of riding to your morning of ballooning. For directions, information and reservations, contact Adventures Aloft, RO. Box 2500, Yountville, CA 94599; (707) 255-8688.

David Edwards