ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

This was the second year that I made the trip to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta. The first time was two years ago and I traveled via train (it was my first real train ride) so this time it was a flying adventure with an overnight stop in Prescott on the way. We departed out of Santa Monica on late Thursday afternoon which allowed for some amazing views of downtown LA along the way.

This was my first visit to Prescott so a little bit of exploring was a must! There happen to be this photo on the wall of the elevator at the hotel that I asked one of the girls about. She said that it was of Watson Lake, so exploring at Watson Lake it was. There were so many giant boulders around the lake with single random trees growing out of them.

Departing Prescott, the routing took us right over Sedona which was a pretty awesome sight from the air! We flew into Double Eagle Airport since it was closer to north Albuquerque and easier than dealing with ABQ. We arrived too late to see the evening glow but it ended up being canceled anyways. Instead, we were able to go to Rudy’s BBQ. If you haven’t been to Rudy’s in Albuquerque, you are missing out! It is great but I always eat too much.

We made use of Airbnb, which was my first time staying at one. It worked out great because the price was much better than the local hotels and was within walking distance to the Balloon Fiesta. We got up super early the next morning to beat the crowds into the park. I got registered at the media tent and found out that I had the opportunity to go up on a hot air balloon. However, the event was on hold due to the weather. Once they raised the green flag, signaling that the balloons could launch, I met my pilot, Gary and we inflated the balloon.

The ride was spectacular, much different than being up in an airplane. It was so quiet and peaceful and everything moved by so much slower. The Balloon Fiesta Park is situated such that there is a box essentially. As the balloons take off, they are blown one way by the winds but as they get higher, the wind actually blows them back the other way so you could basically do laps and keep coming back to where you started. This day, though, the weather was alternating back and forth and there was a call over the radio letting us know that rain was headed our way. We could see it coming. Gary started looking for a place to land. We floated along above the neighborhoods of northern Albuquerque looking for a good spot. The residents put out white sheets in their fields if they support the balloon fiesta and allow you land there. As we were looking for a suitable spot, we passed a church and very nearly took our their steeple, or it took us out. Finally, Gary spotted a lady’s yard that he had actually taken off from on another occasion and we had our landing spot. He explained to me what I should expect during the landing and before I knew it, we were back on the ground.

Immediately, a bunch of folks came to help us secure the balloon and pack it back up. It was a good thing, too, because the lightning seemed to be getting closer. Flying through a couple rain showers was fun, getting struck by lightning did not seem like fun. We got the balloon put away and headed back to the park.

After the morning sessions, there is a break until the evening glow sessions. We used this time to head up into the mountains to see what we could find. We came across an old stone house that was pretty cool. The views overlooking Albuquerque were pretty awesome. However, the weather didn’t seem to be improving and we were starting to wonder whether the evening glow would happen.

We got back to the balloon fiesta park just in time to find out that the glow event had been cancelled but that the fireworks were still going to happen. That gave me a chance to practice my fireworks photography some more. There was a also a small fair that was happening with a couple rides and carnival-type games for the kids.

The next morning was another early morning and it was off to the balloon fiesta one final time. The dawn patrol started inflating their balloons to the sounds of the music over the speakers and the lasers filling the air. After they launched, the special shapes starting taking shape and before I knew it, they were taking off as well. Everyone that was going up looked so happy as did the spectators watching and sometimes helping the balloons.

I headed back over to Gary’s balloon to help him get airborne for the day. The balloon was still wet from the day before and once he started heating the balloon up, the steam starting coming off the outside of the balloon, making for a pretty spectacular sight. He decided that he wasn’t going to fly that day because the weather looked like it was going to take a turn for the worse and he didn’t want to risk getting the balloon wet again (now that it was inflated and dry). We helped him pack the balloon up one final time, bringing to a close the 2016 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Gary welcomed us to northern California, where he is from, to fly with him in exchange for a flight in the Cessna. We told him that we would take him up on that offer. It was time to head back to Double Eagle and make the 6-hour flight back to Santa Monica.