of activity at our hotel in central Albuquerque. We had a booking
for two nights but hoped to extend it to a third to have some
breathing space. No Way! Why? Because the hotel was sold
out thanks to the Great Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta about to
begin on October 1st.
So we resolved to attend the first "Mass Ascension" (hmmm sounds
somewhat Catholic) of the festival...having little idea of what to expect.
Fortunately we decided to do a Park and Ride...so we didn't have to deal
with any of the traffic jams. We now know what it feels like to be cattle.
Thousands of other people had clearly had the same idea as we did!
We got there at 6:45...the sky was lightening and as we got to the gate,
we saw a number of balloons rise into the sky - Trace Balloons sent up
to test the currents. It wasn't even very cold...perhaps about 15 degrees
celsius...with a light breeze.
We were in a park the size of about three football fields. The balloons were
being inflated and it seemed as if they were everywhere.
The opening ceremony included the singing of the national anthem
by a Marine Choir and the rising of a balloon holding the Stars and Stripes.
Then at 7 and for the next two hours, more than 500 balloons rose in
waves, to cheers.
As the sun rose and more balloons did it became obvious there shapes and sizes
of all kinds ...and a delight to kids of all ages.
We'd been on our feet for two hours but we weren't tired...the crowd was friendly
and excited and the adrenalim pumped through us everytime another balloon lifted
off the groud.
But we had to dashback to the hotel and check out. On the way back we saw some of the balloons landing...their landing spots were empty fields or people's back yards. Each crew included chase trucks...
Pictures of this really are worth a thousand words. One of the TV stations in Albuquerque is streaming most of it live. So if you want moving pictures...check it out: www.krqe.com
We'll leave you now...we'll be staying in Tuscon with a pair of fabulous hosts. Good-bye Route 66...hello South West!
It sounds and looks to me that Route 66 was good to you both, in many unexpected ways.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm not sure what I would think if I encountered a giant Darth Vader head during a flight. May the Force inflate you?