13/16 #CaliforniaWild #sponsored post • I can’t think of a better way to be introduced to the #InlandEmpire than via hot air balloon, soaring over the vineyards of the Temecula Valley, staring at the diverse landscape from an altitude of 3,000 feet. From that height it’s clear how important agriculture is to the region and it is easy to see how much there is to do in this region that’s not far from Los Angeles or San Diego, yet that often gets overlooked by visitors to both. Riding in a hot air balloon happens to be one of my very favorite things to do, perhaps my actual favorite. It’s one of the few ways that I can come close to the feeling of what it must be like to be a bird, drifting on the winds, soaring above the earth below and all its heartache. As I looked down, I felt such sadness for all the people who are hurting right now, so much bittersweetness as I felt grateful for my experience yet despaired of how few might get to have the same, who are desperate for just their basic...