Hot Air Balloons are a wonderful hobby and incredible way to see the countryside from above. Check out http://www.socalballoons.com/ to see the view of Southern California as seen from a hot air balloon. You can buy a loved one a gift certificate online at http://www.balloonrideacrossamerica.com/ and give them a gift they will never forget. 
You can also check out how a hot air balloon works and learn more about hot air balloons at http://www.hotairballoons.com/, http://www.hotairballooning.com/ or http://www.eballoon.org/ and see a demonstration at http://www.fromaboveinabasket.com/ . If you want to see the world from a basket and feel the wind on your face in the warm sunshine go to http://www.rainbowryders.com/ to see Pheonix,Arizona. You can ride the Georgia wind at http://www.atlantahotairballoons.com/ or see the Space Needle from up high in Seattle at http://www.letsgoballooning.com/. My personal favorite would be http://www.hot-airballoons.com/ to see Lake Shasta from a balloon. You can learn a lot from websites on the internet. 