Hot Air Ballooning - Originally Published 2009

Since I have committed myself to a life of adventure, I have signed more than my fair share of releases of liability where I have allowed a company to be without blame in the untimely event of my death or dismemberment.  All that’s in the release for hot air ballooning, but my friends at Great Escapes threw me a new one.  There’s one part of the release that states something to the effect “I understand that I may be guilty of the crime of trespassing while hot air ballooning and will wave the company of all wrongdoing in the event of my arrest and/or prosecution”.

Whaty what?!  I was just planning on floating around in a balloon for my wife’s birthday.  I didn’t know I was going to roll out in Temecula with a graffiti crew.  Trespassing?  How could that happen?

Here’s what we found out from our aeronaut John.  It turns out that once you’re up in the balloon, you’re basically at the mercy of the winds.  All the balloonist can do is take you up and down.  There’s always the chance that you’ll land in someone’s yard and get arrested.

Once you get airborne, you float gently through the air.  And I mean gently.  This is really a great activity for type B people. 

See that truck?  The driver has an important job.  He keeps his eye on the balloon and makes his best guess at where you will be landing.  Lucky for us, he guessed correctly.

The most amazing thing about a trip in a hot air balloon is that a place like Temecula really looks beautiful from a few thousand feet up.  I would really recommend that you give this a try out.  There are many companies out that that charter flights.  I rolled the dice on Grape Escapes, and I was impressed by their service and their price.

Mormon Rocks - Originally Published 2009

It seems like there is always some intriguing place I spot on the way to some other destination.  The problem is, because my planned destination is more compelling, I don’t stop and check it out.  Such is the case with The Mormon Rocks.

The Mormon Rocks sits on the 138 at the top of the Cajon Pass.  It gets its name from the Mormons that camped near them back in the 1800’s.

On one side of the road, there is a really mild mile long trail that gives you a couple nice views.  However, don’t leave without crossing the highway and taking a look up close.

This place isn’t too far off the beaten path, so it’s an easy retreat.  If you’re looking for some solitude, this is a nice place to start.

Yep.  You can lay back and watch a jet pass overhead here.

Need to entertain your weird nephew that’s way too into trains?  Anything coming into or leaving Southern California has to pass through here.  Somewhere between fifty to one hundred trains run through this little patch of the desert.

Great place to get away from it all without having to get away from it all.  The Mormon Rocks is maybe fifteen minutes away from the Victoria Garden, for all you shopping fanatics.

Tom's Farms - Originally Published 2008

Is it a place to eat, or is it something to do?  Well, Tom’s Farms can probably be best described as a wide spot in the road.  If you ever need to venture down to Temecula or any other points along the 15, it’s worth a stop.

Tom’s has two restaurants, a wine and cheese shop, a furniture store, a candy shop, and a farmer’s market.  Basically, a little bit of everything.

At the very least, it’s a good place to let your Chihuahua wander around and pee on stuff.  But remember, Tom’s doesn’t allow outside food so no picnicking.

It seems like everywhere that Mai and I stop has farm animals.  Tom’s Farms is no exception.  Lucy wasn’t big on the pigs.