Hot Air Balloon Ride in Sonoma

As mentioned in my post on our recent trip to Sonoma, we checked off one more item on our bucket list-Hot Air Balloon Ride. I was super excited about the ride and the thought of flying and floating in the air with views of the wine country made me jump with joy. 

When ever I can, I look for deals so I don't have to pay full price. Luckily, I found a good one for Sonoma Valley Balloon on Groupon. On the day of our flight, we were asked to meet at a Starbucks parking lot on Airport Boulevard at 6.30am. Yes, that early! The reason is that the hot air balloons can only fly when the winds are calm and cool which happens only during the mornings. Depending on the wind direction and other conditions for flight, the pilot will choose the launch site. From the parking lot, a shuttle took us to the launch site for the day. 

It was interesting to watch the crew attach the balloon to the basket (also known as the gondola) and inflate it. The baskets vary in size and can hold anywhere from 4-20 passengers. Our basket was one of the larger ones and could hold around 16 people. The crew lay the basket on its side, spread out the balloon and attached it. A fan was turned on that inflated the balloon. Once there was enough air inside the balloon, the crew blasted a burner flame inside it. This heated the air, building pressure until the balloon inflated completely and started to lift. The basket was attached to the ground vehicle, at the same time crew members held the basket down until the pilot was ready to fly. 

When it was time to fly, the pilot released a steady stream of hot flame which heated up the balloon and lifted it off the ground. It was beautiful to watch the entire process. 

Depending on the wind direction and current, the balloon floats in the air and moves while the ground crew follow the balloon in their vehicle to assist with the landing. The experience of flying was incredible. It wasn't a scary one at all. In fact, I did not feel the wind or any movement at all as we were moving at the speed of the currents. The lush green valley was a beautiful sight to look at. The only trouble was the hot sun. So make sure you have your hat and sunscreen to protect you. The flight lasted for an hour and then the pilot found a good place to land. 

Post the landing, we were taken to a restaurant for a champagne toast and socializing. The whole experience was a lot of fun. I must admit that since there was no adrenaline rush but a rather passive activity, I would not do this again. Nevertheless, I recommend everyone have this experience at least once in their life.

Stanford University Tour

Stanford, one of the most prestigious universities in the world, conducts walking tours of their campus for the public throughout the year. I had attended one such tour a few years ago. Since I didn't have a blog at the time, I missed documenting it. Last week, I decided to go on the tour again. It was just as fun as the last time.

Hoover's Tower

Led by students, the tour is a 70 min walk around the campus. It provides the history of the University and helps you get a peek at the culture, campus life and academics. Stanford University was started by Leland Stanford-one of the wealthiest men in America at the time. It was built in memory of his only son who died at the age of 15.

The campus is massive-one that can accommodate 96 Disneylands! It was buzzing with activity as prospective students were visiting the campus along with parents in addition to the regular students. I learned about the various clubs and extra curricular activities that students participate in.

David Packard Electrical Engineering

The tour covers the main areas of the campus including the Main Quad, Memorial Church, Engineering Quad and White Plaza. One can also go to the top of Hoover's Tower to get a view of the Bay Area but we were too tired to walk back to it after the tour ended.

My favorite was the Memorial Church with its beautiful stain glass paintings inside.  Take a look at these pictures to see the insides of this wonderful Italian style Church.

This tour is a great way for the public to get a feel for the university. There were many parents who had brought their pre-teen and teenage children on the tour hoping to inspire them. There is a lot of walking involved so bring a hat and water bottle to keep yourself hydrated.

No reservations are required. All you have to do is show up at the Stanford Visitor Center at the time of the tour. The best part is that it is free. While you're on the campus, do take some time out to visit the Cantor Arts Center and the Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden.

My friend & I after the tour

What: Stanford University Walking Tour
When: 11am and 3.15pm 7 days a week
Where: Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford CA 94305
Fee: Free

Castello Di Amorosa

It has been a while since I updated this blog and that was due to my two month long vacation in India. Now that I'm back, I plan to blog more often. Before our vacation, we went to Sonoma for a weekend visit. We had a very definite itinerary. Reach Sonoma, visit Castello Di Amorosa and the next day take the Hot Air Balloon ride (yes, we did it and I will write a whole separate post on it!).

Me with Castello Di Amorosa in the background

Castello Di Amorosa is a 13th century style Tuscan castle and winery built by wine maker Dario Sattui. He wanted to combine two of his greatest passions in life-wine and architecture which resulted in him building this magnificent castle that is a fully functioning winery. We took a guided tour of the castle which helped us get information about the castle and its history. The tour is an hour long after which there is a 45 min wine tasting. You can upgrade to a chocolate pairing with the wine as well.

Great Hall with marvelous paintings

Wine fermentation process

The castle has 107 rooms and a total of 8 levels above and below the ground. The chapel, a torture chamber, hall, dining area, courtyard and the wine cellar were some of the rooms we visited. The rooms were decorated with frescos, paintings, furniture that transports one to the 13th century. The torture chamber even has an authentic 300-year old iron maiden brought from Italy. After the walk through the castle, the tasting session was a welcome break.

Our tour guide Rachel

Wine barrels

Wine tasting

I loved this place and especially liked their delicious wines. I highly recommend visiting this winery for a taste of ancient architecture as well as wine.

What: Castello Di Amorosa
Where: 4045 Saint Helena Highway, Calistoga CA 9415
When: 9:30 am-5:00 pm (Nov-Feb) and 9:30 am-6:00 pm (Mar-Oct)
Fee: Varies depending on options

Camping Trip at Big Basin Redwoods State Park

I'm not one to give up on basic comforts while traveling, like a nice cosy bed to sleep on or a private bathroom. Naturally, camping did not occur on my list of activities to try. However, when a friend asked me if I wanted to join her family on a camping trip, something made me say yes. Perhaps a sense of adventure or maybe because I haven't taken a trip in a few months and I was desperate. Nevertheless, we ended up going on our first ever camping trip in the Big Basin Redwood State Park.

Camping trip-Big Basin Redwoods State Park

This park is an hour's drive from Sunnyvale and is close to Saratoga. It is the oldest State park in California and is home to giant redwood trees. The drive up to the park is through super windy roads and people with motion sickness need to ensure they are well prepared before the journey. The campsites can be booked online.

Since we had never camped before, gear like tents, sleeping bags and stove were rented. Some of the basic stuff like camping chairs and lanterns were bought. I came to understand that a camping trip for two people for just one night meant carrying a car full of luggage, right from tents, firewood, food, snacks, water, warm clothes, lanterns, chairs to odds and ends. A lot of preparation for an overnight stay!

Me clearing our path while hiking :)

Wild Mushrooms

We didn't get a chance to hike much and spent most of the evening pitching the tents and trying to get the campfire started. The logs were slightly damp and had to be broken into smaller pieces before they could catch fire. Quite a time-consuming process.

Vishnu pitching the tent

Our tent

Me trying to start the campfire

Campfire

We had nachos for snacks. Burgers were grilled and marshmallows were roasted for an authentic camping experience :)

Yummy Nachos

It was quite a cold evening and we were freezing. While warming ourselves around the fire, we saw a huge raccoon stake out our campground for food. It was a very scary experience as I had never seen a raccoon before let alone one that big!

Despite wearing several layers and covering myself in blankets, the cold did not let me sleep well. I woke up stiff and with a body ache. I must say sleeping in sleeping bags is not comfortable at all.

After freshening up, we tried restarting the campfire but in vain. The cold was unbearable. We quickly had some bagels with cream cheese for breakfast, started packing and headed home. It was a very time consuming and tiring. Still a fun and learning experience. This trip reinforced the fact that I'm not the camping-type. I prefer a comfortable cabin with heating and a warm bed.

Ajay making coffee for breakfast

Real Escape Game

My latest activity was a super fun game called the Real Escape game. Ten people are locked inside a room and the aim of the game is to kind a key to get out of the room. There are lots of puzzles and clues hidden inside and solving all of them ultimately leads to the key.

I have never done something like this before and was absolutely thrilled when I heard a friend mention this. Since it is more fun doing this activity with people you know rather than with strangers, I managed to convince a few friends to join me. And I'm so glad we played the game. 

The concept of the game originated in Japan and is now popular all over the world. In the Bay Area, it is located in San Francisco and San Jose. We went to the one in San Jose. You have to reserve tickets online in advance. The duration of the game is one hour with an extra half an hour for introductions,  explaining the rules and questions.

The room in which we were locked looked very ordinary but was full of puzzles, crosswords, clues and mystery. As a team, we had to figure things out. I can't really say anything more about the game without the spoilers so I'll stop. We did not manage to find the key in time and escape but I'd say we did pretty well for ourselves and everyone was pleased. There was a lot of collaboration, creativity, time management and brain work involved and it was thoroughly enjoyable. 

Sad face: Real Escape Game

They have a few different themes for the rooms to choose from. The one we went for was called 'Escape from the Mysterious Room.' It is a very good activity as a corporate team building event as well as a day out with friends. Even if you don't have a group of ten, you can always book your tickets and you will be clubbed with others who reserve that slot. I'm excited about trying some of the other rooms and puzzles.

Happy face: Real Escape Game

What: The Real Escape Game

Where: http://realescapegame.com/

Cost: $39

Natural Bridges State Beach

What do you do when you catch a sunny break from the cold winter? You head to the beach, of course! That's what we did last Saturday. I had heard about the Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz from a colleague and so I decided to check it out.

Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz

An hour's drive took us to the beach. It being a beautiful day, the beach was buzzing with activity. The weather was just perfect-no annoying cold wind or fog to take away from the views. It is a small sandy beach compared to the main one near the boardwalk. Quite close to the shore is a massive rock which forms an arch giving it an appearance of a bridge. Apparently, there were three such bridges but erosion took a toll on them and now only one survives. You can see about hundreds of birds perched on top of the bridge. We also saw quite a few surfers having a fun time and enjoying the water.

Right next to the beach, there are some tide pools. These are rocks with small depressions in them. During low tide, when there is no water covering these rocks, you can see a lot of different sea life forms. There were snails, anemones, sea-weeds, mussels and many colorful forms. It was a treat to watch them. We reached there at the fag end of the low tide and so could catch only a glimpse of what actually is out there. The best time to visit the tide pools is an hour before or an hour after low tide.

Anemones

Mussels and sea weed

The park next to the beach is home to the migrating Monarch Butterflies. There is a separate trail with eucalyptus trees where you can see hundreds of Monarch Butterflies during the migratory season (October to mid February). It is a quiet and shaded trail and if you look up, you can see the butterflies fluttering about. Since we went there around sunset, the weather was not warm enough and so there were fewer butterflies than one can see during the afternoon. It was difficult to capture them on camera as it was getting dark.

Monarch Butterflies Trail

 It was a perfect day out at the beach with gorgeous views to refresh the mind and soul.

What: Natural Bridges State Beach
Where: 2531 W Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz CA 95060
When: 8.00am to sunset
Fee: Free (parking is $10 which you can avoid by parking on the street)

An Evening At Shoreline Park

My first post in the new year! I have been to Shoreline Park a number of times since I moved here. I was introduced to this wonderful place by my friend Anne. The park is located in Mountain View quite close to the downtown. It is a vast expanse of land with a lake, hiking and biking trails, golf course and a beautiful picnic area. It has something for everyone.

The trails are mostly flat and unshaded. The open space with many different types of birds and the green grass make for a very pleasant walk. I usually go there when I want to be outdoors but don't feel up to a strenuous hike. Of course, you can bring a nice little picnic basket and soak in the sun or play frisbee or board games. They also have bicycles for rent too. One of these days, I intend to rent one to learn how to ride a bike!

Shoreline Lake with birds

My favorite part is of course the small man-made lake which has lots of birds. You can rent kayaks, row boats, peddle-boats or bring your own to enjoy a few hours on the water. We recently went kayaking on the lake. It was a fun experience. We rented a two-person kayak for an hour. Strapping on the life vests and armed with paddles, we entered the lake and started paddling around the lake. The sight of the setting sun, the birds flying all around us and the gorgeous pink of the earth shadow on the sky made the evening simply perfect. The lake is quite small so you can easily kayak around the entire lake in an hour without rushing. I even stopped mid way to click some pictures!

If you want to enjoy being on the water without having to leave the city, Shoreline is the best place for you. They also have two cafes-Michael's and Lakeside cafe where you can grab a quick snack after your activity. The website mentions you can order a picnic lunch from the cafe to carry on the boat but I personally don't think it is such a good idea.

There is no entry fee for the park which makes it even more appealing. Right outside the park, there is a dog-park and an area to fly kites and remote controlled aeroplanes although I have not been to that side.
There are tons of things you can do here: run, jog, stroll, wind surf, row, canoe, sail, picnic, relax, admire nature, click pictures and have a superb time!

What: Shoreline Park
Where: 3070 North Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View CA 94043
When: Sunrise to Sunset all year round
Fee: Free