I’m used to modern air travel, watching clouds from an airplane window while safely strapped in with a seat-belt.
So it was with some trepidation I found myself standing untethered in a wicker basket, 1,830 metres above the ground, on my first hot air balloon flight.
I was excited but nervous on how this bucket list adventure might end during a recent five-day trip to Scottsdale, Arizona.
Sure, I had a bird’s-eye view of Saguaro cactus, with their arms pointing skyward, saw houses resembling monopoly board pieces and watched a half-dozen colourful hot air balloons floating nearby over the Arizona desert.
It was a sunny, clear day and the unobstructed 360-degree view was amazing, but I was still nervous how the one-hour ride, which began shortly after sunrise, would conclude. Especially after being told some baskets don’t land upright.
And while I had faith in our 79-year-old pilot John Bagwell, who has been piloting hot air balloons for nearly 50 years — the past 12 with Phoenix-based Hot Air Expeditions — I couldn’t help fixating on his landing instructions.
“There are two kinds of landings. Under five miles an hour and over five miles an hours,” he tells us before take-off, as the balloon’s 914 metres of fire-resistant fabric is inflated and its sphere begins taking shape.
“Under five miles an hour we drop down low, select a flat spot like this and settle into the ground, maybe it skips a little bit or leans a little bit but basically it stays upright. We deflate the balloon and we let you guys out.”
A fast landing, travelling above five miles an hour, might not be so smooth, he warns us.
“Anything above we never know where we are going to get until we get there. We’ll drop down low and scoot along whatever the speed of that wind is. As soon as the ground hits everything lays on its side, and that includes us. We’ll slide until the air is out of that [balloon] envelope.”
The image of a dozen people, previously standing shoulder to shoulder, in the basket now on its side doesn’t put my mind to rest. And it doesn’t help when Bagwell adds he once had to land travelling at a speed of 48 kilometres an hour, resulting in the basket being dragged for 110 metres.
“These things have a huge amount of power and a huge sail area.”
There’s no turning back now, as I feel the warmth from the balloon’s onboard heat source — large cylinder tanks, holding 36 kilograms of propane. The tanks are in the centre of the balloon with Bagwell, while groups of three passengers are squeezed into the four, small corner cubicles surrounding him.
Whenever Bagwell opens one of the tank valves, orange flames are seen escaping into the balloon above and the basket slowly starts to rise. I also realize, in retrospect, this wasn’t the best moment to ask him where we are headed and learning he doesn’t know. Yes, this flight will be unlike any I’ve ever known.
“We’ll be going where the wind takes us. We can’t steer these things, except by what the wind is doing,” says Bagwell.
He further explains a pilot can only regulate the hot air balloon by going up and down looking for different wind layers. And his “high tech wind indicator” is spitting over the side of the basket.
Upon reaching the half-way point of our highest elevation that morning, I can see one other balloon isn’t faring as well, travelling low to the ground. It’s in a different wind path.
“You have to add heat to go up and less to come down and you have to add heat before you hit the ground otherwise you smack the ground the speed of a parachute. We don’t want to do that,” he says.
After a few minutes up high I nervously hold up my iPhone to snap pictures, but worry a sudden bump could loosen it from my grip, losing it forever.
Thankfully, our ride is a smooth one. And despite coming close to a large cactus upon landing, Bagwell gets us safely back to ground — thankfully, upright.
Afterwards, enjoying a champagne toast and small breakfast his “chase group” set up for us on the ground — an empty field between a residential neighbourhood and mall — I ask Bagwell what keeps him piloting hot air balloons since 1975 when most people his age are enjoying retirement.
“The flights are always challenging. It never gets boring because they’re always different and you get to meet new people every day,” says the non-smoking, non-drinking septuagenarian.
“I get high by going up in the air.”
Once on the ground I continue my Scottsdale adventures and make the healthy choice to head to the Sonoran Desert, which has long been a place to retreat and relax. I’m booked in for two nights at the CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa, located on 20 acres of desert near a small town appropriately named Carefree, about 24 km from Scottsdale.
The resort is surrounded by beautiful succulents (there are more than 100 large cactus trees on the property), and is the ideal place to enjoy amazing sunsets. Besides having two outdoor pools and hot and cold plunge pools in the spa, there’s also a fitness centre, meditative labyrinth, restaurant, and plenty of hiking trails on the property.
The resort owners understand wellness means different things to different people, so the options are numerous to find what works for you at CIVANA. You can spend all your time lounging by the pool, or take complimentary health and wellness classes, such as mediation, sound healing, fung shui and yoga classes. Some of the classes have a small fee such as floating guided meditation, a mixology class to learn how to make your own cocktails, and guided hikes.
Also, not to be missed while visiting Scottsdale is touring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West home and studio. The home, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, was built by Wright and his apprentices (most who lived in tents on the property) in the 1930s. Wright lived there in the winters, until his death in 1959 at age 91, and would constantly expand and modify the home, notable for how it melds into its surroundings since its structures are built of the rocks and sand of the Sonoran Desert.
To get a sense of not only Arizona’s western history but that of 18 other states that make up the American West, Western Canada and Mexico, visit Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, located in Old Town Scottsdale. The permanent exhibits are fascinating, showing the transition of the Old West into the New West, and especially one of its current exhibits (on now through August) called Inner Light: The Art of Tom Galleon. That exhibit shows the 70-year painting career of the artist, beginning with paintings he did for Walt Disney to paintings of Native Americans and iconic Western landscapes done throughout his career. The museum was rightly named the No. 1 Western Museum in the United States by True West Magazine in 2023.
And if you have children or are a child at heart I’d recommend visiting the Arizona Boardwalk, which is an entertainment destination featuring attractions like OdySea Aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and the UFO Experience: The Truth is Out There in addition to providing multiple dining and shopping experiences. Regarding attractions I particularly enjoyed the aquarium, which offers private, 45-minute experiences with some of the aquarium residents, like one of its two sloths or visiting penguins behind the scene.
Where to stay
My first choice would be the CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa because of its beautiful setting, myriad activity options, dining and resort amenities on site.
However, if you want to stay directly in Scottsdale a good option is Hotel Valley Ho, first opened in 1956 and recently restored to its mid-century modern splendour. It was once a hide-away for Hollywood celebrities like Bing Crosby, Tony Curtis and Zsa Zsa Gabor. It’s also conveniently within walking distance to Old Town Scottsdale, which is a fun place to explore. While I didn’t stay at Hotel Valley Ho myself I did enjoy visiting the hotel for a delicious rooftop dinner, and toured some of the newly renovated rooms that are comfortable with touches from the 1950s and 60s. Who doesn’t love a sunburst clock?
I stayed at the Spanish-style Scottsdale Resort & Spa located within McCormick Ranch, which has two championship 18-hole golf courses. My room looked out to one of the golf courses and while I don’t golf myself. one of the resort’s newly renovated lounges has a golf simulator, where I could have tried guilt-free knowing I wasn’t slowly down any golfers on a real course. The lounge also has a pool table, shuffleboard and board games and a secret speakeasy called The Madam that harkens back to the 1920s.
Kim Pemberton was hosted by Experience Scottsdale, which did not review or approve this story. Follow her on Instagram at kimstravelogue.
