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We haven’t been home in ages in the Fall so we took
advantage of the opportunity to enjoy Balloon Fiesta and a few other unique
experiences in our home state. Mark Dagostino came for the weekend of fun
before we left the following week for touring and fishing in the Ozarks.
Saturday, 9 October: It was an early morning for us and Mark. We woke
up at 3:45AM (yes, that early) and drove to the Park & Ride Shuttle at the
Mall. We caught a 4:45AM shuttle and were at the Balloon Fiesta Park at
5:15AM. While it was quite cool, it wasn’t frigid. After Lindy grabbed a quick
cup of coffee, we began wandering among the many balloons that were beginning to
be assembled for the morning launch.
This is something very unique to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. In many other
places, individuals are restricted as to the areas you can walk. Here,
individuals are free to roam but must pay attention and follow instructions from
“zebras” – individuals dressed in striped clothing who coordinate the launching
of the balloons and make sure no one is in danger of being struck by a balloon
basket during lift-off.
At ~6:30AM, a number of balloons did a “Balloon Glow.” This is when the
balloons stay tethered to the ground but burn in unison causing the envelopes to
glow. Very beautiful! As dawn approached, the first collection of balloons
(called “Dawn Patrol”) took to the skies. These experienced pilots report back
conditions (i.e., wind speed, wind direction, etc.) to ensure conditions are
okay in advance of the mass ascent of the remaining balloons. Thankfully, for
all us early birds, everything was a go. So, we once again had the thrill of
watching “waves” of hot air balloons fill the skies of Albuquerque. The
balloons ascend when a “zebra” starts at the beginning of a row of balloons and
tells each balloonist when to launch. These “waves” of balloons fill the skies
with color as well as the sound of propane burning to create the hot-air being
used to make them rise into the incredible New Mexico blue skies. It’s an
unbelievable sight! No wonder it's one of the most photographed events in
the World! (We took over 100 photographs but are only sharing a sampling
below.)
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display a larger photo. Once displayed, click
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this page.
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The Balloon Glow |
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The Dawn Patrol balloons ascend |
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A close-up of a "burn"
as one of the Dawn Patrol ballons ascends |
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Dawn has arrived |
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Mass inflation and the
balloons begin to rise |
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The owl balloon in the
previous picture has now lifted off |
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Balloons fill the
Albuquerque sky (Note: The pink one on the left; look carefully... it's a pig and says "WHEN PIGS FLY" |
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A close-up shot of the
basket just as it ascends; the basket holds the pilot and any guests |
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Activities on the ground continue |
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One of the many
special shape balloons - The Wells Fargo Stage Coach |
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The witch balloon
looks like its chasing a yellow ball |
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Bob Square Pants has the center here |
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Joe Cool How about those shades? |
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Balloons and the amazing New Mexico sky |
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These bees come all
the way from Brazil ("The Bees from Brazil") for Fiesta each year; they are joined together with Velcro straps |
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The bees are now
flying separately. In previous years, there were only two bees. Now, there's a baby too |
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Another balloon wearing shades |
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A colorful rooster
joins the ranks of the special shapes balloons |
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Who can resist the Joker's smile? |
We watched all 500+ balloons ascend in a very short time. By 9:00AM, the show was all over as the balloons dispersed throughout the area, landed and were then taken down and stored (typically in a pick-up truck bed or a small trailer) until their next ascent. We subsequently caught a return Park & Ride back to the car. Another big WOW for an amazing event.
Next, we decided to venture to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to view a Native American performance on its plaza. Today, the Center was featuring the Cellicion Zuni dancers. They were a family group with the leader playing flute and describing the dances in advance of the performance. There were three dances in total and each was terrific both in terms of costumes and performance.
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Our Master of
Ceremonies wearing traditional garb |
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Two male dancers
wearing intricate clothing featuring feathers begin an Eagle Dance |
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The dances begin to mimic flying |
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The Eagle Dance continues |
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These women are
dancing with earthen pots on their heads |
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It's amazing the pots
don't fall (Also, look at their beautiful turquoise jewelry) |
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The pot is traditional Zuni design |
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In this dance, the men
are wearing costumes featuring antlers |
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A closer view of this dance |
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The Master of
Ceremonies playing a traditional flute |
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In this dance, the
males are mimicking Buffalos |
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A closer view of the men's costumes |
After enjoying the Center, we returned home as it had been an extremely early start on a very busy day.
Sunday, 10 October: Again, we got up early and decided to head north to Santa Fe via The Turquoise Trail. There we went for breakfast at one of our favorite spots for local New Mexican food. Afterwards, we drove to Bandelier National Park. At the Park, we went hiking among the Native American ruins. We walked over the canyon floor where these individuals grew crops of corn and beans. Then, using wooden ladders, we were able to climb up into multiple dwellings which had been carved out of the canyon walls. It was a beautiful day and the perfect way to appreciate the lifestyle of this Native American community.
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Approaching Bandelier Canyon |
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The Park's Visitors Center |
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A working Kiva (adobe
fire kiln) outside of Park headquarters |
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Approaching the
settlement which is built against and into the canyon walls |
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A ceremonial pit on the canyon floor |
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The remains of
buildings on the canyon floor, probably used for crop storage You can glimpse housing in the background |
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We're now walking toward the housing |
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The adobe bricks blend easily into the canyon walls |
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Ed on a ladder entering a cliff house |
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Looking down from the
housing onto the canyon floor |
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Adobe bricks and
supports built into the canyon wall |
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Lindy peeking out from a cliff house |
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A bird carving on a wall |
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Preserved wall decorations |
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Lindy climbing a very
tall ladder to an upper level of the housing |
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A view from the cliff
housing to the opposite wall of the canyon |
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Inside a house, there
is access to another room and/or a storage room |
AFTER A FEW DAYS OF PREPARATIONS, WE WERE THEN OFF ON THE ROAD…. Click to go to our Ozarks Touring