The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

We stayed at a campground run by the Isleta Indian tribe, and the campground was located near a commuter rail stop.  The railroad ran a special train for the Balloon Fiesta so we didn't have to drive our hulking truck into the city. Perfect!

The crowd was huge, but there were so many balloons to see that even Bob, our crowd hater, didn't mind it.

Of course they offered balloon rides, but that's definitely not on my bucket list!

We walked through the grounds to see the balloons, their baskets, and pilots. They lay their balloons on the ground, fill them with enough hot air to inflate them, and wait until it's their turn for launch.

Most of the pilots and their helpers were very friendly and they answered questions from everyone.

This guy's holding on to the handle that controls the gas to heat the air in his balloon. When he pulls on the handle flames shoot out and the air in the balloon heats up.

The Fiesta is very well organized. The men in striped shirts, who are called zebras, tell the balloon pilots when it's their turn to launch, and they keep spectators a safe distance away.

There were over 500 balloons launched, and they were so beautiful. I took many, many pictures and I'll post just a few of my favorites for you to see. 

This stagecoach balloon, sponsored by Wells Fargo, had a hard time the day we were there.  One of the helpers told us that it has to be a very calm day to launch this huge balloon.  We did see it in the sky on TV the next day.

These balloons were a crowd favorite, and everyone loved when the mommy and daddy balloons "kissed"!

This is another balloon that has to wait for a calm day to launch, but who can resist a cute Holstein?

They start launching the balloons shortly before sunrise and by noontime they're all down and being trucked away to get ready for the evening launch.   

We had a great time at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, but it's time to move on. Next stop: Santa Fe.

Posted with Blogsy