Let's Go Fly a...Hot Air Balloon

Tick another item off of your bucket list by riding in a hot air balloon! Hot Air Expeditions operate from The Deer Valley Airport in Phoenix, AZ, just forty-five minutes away from the Liv Avenida in Chandler, AZ. The view from the balloonsclear sky, the desert stretching beneath youwill make the drive well worth it. The Hot Air Expeditions run both in the evening and in the morning. In the morning, they serve breakfast, and in the evening, they serve hors doeuvresso come with an empty stomach! If this is your first time flying, you will also get to participate in the Balloonists Ceremony at the end of the flight. Remember to dress appropriately for the flight. The website recommends bringing closed toe shoes, a hat, a light jacket, sunscreen, sunglasses and a camera to your expeditionthis is an experience that youll definitely want to capture and remember! Here are a few fun facts about hot air balloons from Mental Floss: The tradition of having champagne after a flight (which, if you decide to fly, you will get to participate in!) began when aristocats realized that farmers disliked having their crops crushed by the aristocrats balloons. Champagne was used to appease the farmers displeasure. Two Frenchmen battled it out in a pair of hot air balloons in 1808. They were in love with the same opera singer. The losers balloon ended up crashing into a building and killing not only the unfortunate dueler, but also the people living in the building. Abraham Lincoln instituted a Hot Air Balloon Corps during The Civil War. The Corps was used to spy on enemy troops. It was pretty short-lived, though, ending in 1863 when the army realized that the Corps were an easy target for enemy gunfire. Would you ever go on a hot air expedition? Have you ever been before? Let us know in the comments!