BALLOONS!!

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta takes place every year in early October. As I mentioned in an earlier post, it's my favorite time of year in Albuquerque. All of the balloon events happen early in the morning (before 9am) or in the evening (after 6pm), making it fairly easy to take in an event without having to rearrange your entire day.

Even though the mass ascension was canceled Sunday morning, the weather cleared up enough for the Balloon Glow and Fireworks show Sunday evening. We wasted no time getting down to Balloon Fiesta Park as soon as we heard that it was a go. When we got there, the balloons were just starting to inflate. After a time, the sun set, the balloons were all inflated and tethered and then the burners ignited. Wow! What amazing colors. Lots of cheering from the crowd. Kind of magical really. We stayed for the fireworks which was also an awesome show.

We headed down to the park Monday morning hoping to see some balloons launch. While it wasn't a mass ascension, we still got to see a couple hundred balloons go up. One of the things I love about Balloon Fiesta is that spectators can walk through the field, around and between the balloons while they're inflating and launching. It's a much different experience than watching them from a spectator's area or bleachers.

After seeing the balloons, we headed over to the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. So much information about the history, science and sport of ballooning. Plus, it has beautiful views of the Sandia Mountains and Balloon Fiesta Park. The museum has only been open for three years, and it has really grown in that time. Here's a picture of Bob and I in a gondola. We're ready to fly!