Today we got to experience our first Balloon Fiesta! What is a Balloon Fiesta you ask? One word: Awesome! Ever since we made the big move down here, that's all anyone talks to you about. It's not just talk, they're pretty serious about ballooning. It might have to do with this crazy thing called the Albuquerque Box. Josh has watched the balloons all summer during his morning commute, there's normally four or five balloons somewhere over the valley.
We even get a wake up call most weekends by the sound of the propane burner by some balloon flying over our house. Last Sunday we caught this guy lurking around:
They even have a museum dedicated to ballooning, we went last Saturday for "Smithsonian Museum Day" (it was free). They have everything from the origins of ballooning, to the big gas balloons they fly over oceans and round the world trips. Pretty crazy. They also have a balloon simulator. It's pretty cool, and Josh did pretty well for being a newbie.
Luckily the other guy in the picture knew a thing or two about ballooning and was an excellent coach. It's a lot harder than it looks (at least that's what Josh kept telling me) for only having two controls. You get points for a good take off, navigating, and how close you can land to the target you are aiming for. Josh ended up getting about an 82/100, which was pretty good because a professional pilot flew before him and got an 88.7/100.
Anyway, back to the fiesta, we had some hookups for a sweet parking pass (thank you so much Tyler!) and made it to the park around 6:30ish A.M., slightly before the "mass ascension" (sounds like a Catholic term) where all the balloons take off. Despite the huge size of the park, they have to stagger the balloon start times so everyone can take off safely. You get to walk directly on the field where the balloons are launching. You can walk right over to the pilots and crew and talk with them and ask them questions, while they are blowing up their balloon. Anyway like someone has mentioned in the comments, a picture is worth the rest of this post so here goes:
That's just a handful of the fun. Josh went through an entire camera battery this morning. This was one of those experiences that is indescribable, the pictures do not do it justice, and you just have to experience it within your life. So, add this onto your list of things you just have to see. Tonight is the evening glow, so perhaps they'll be some more ballooning in store for the blog. In the meantime, the fiesta goes through next weekend, so if you're hankering for a quick get away come on down, we love visitors!
