World United States New Mexico Albuquerque

From Alabama With Love

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta - Tour (Albuquerque, NM) Oct 7, 2010

We were up early to see “Dawn Patrol” go over motor home. Every day of the Fiesta, some of the balloon pilots volunteer to be a part of the Dawn Patrol. These balloons launch around 6:30 AM to test the winds and provide information to the balloon field officials concerning the weather and wind conditions. From these tests, the mass assention is planned. If you are driving to the balloon field, it’s a little difficult to see the Dawn Patrol – pretty early and usually dark when the launch. However, this is the neat part of it – almost like an evening balloon glow. Staying in the RV Parking area at the balloon field, all you have to do is get up and look out your front window – the Dawn Patrol goes right over the top of you. Then it is an easy 5-minute walk to the field to watch the preparation for the mass assention. We have been to other hot air balloon events in other sections of the country but the Albuquerque is the “BIG” one. The balloon field has room for 250 balloonists to launch at the same time. The balloons are arranged in rows of 10 balloons – maybe 25 rows. On some days, the field will be filled three times and visitors get to see three launches. The balloons are out of their containers and spread on the field. A zebra (the nickname for balloon field officials) gives the command to inflate and all the balloons begin to fill with air in preparation for launch. On the schedule for today is “Shape Balloons”. These are special balloons in shapes of all different kinds of things. The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta actually goes on for two weekends and the week in between. The shape balloons arrive mid-week and are fun. Some are so large, you wonder if they will ever get enough hot air into them to let them fly. Today, we are lucky. In addition to the mass assention of shape balloons there is a “Key Grab” scheduled immediately following – we get two shows in one. In a Key Grab, a long pole with a large ring at the top is erected on the field. The balloonists launch somewhere else and fly to this pole. If they can get close enough to grab the ring on the pole, they win a great prize – typically a new car. Here at Albuquerque, they don’t have just one pole, they have six of them. It is very difficult for a pilot to get close enough to get one of those rings. In fact at a local balloon festival we attend in Alabama, it was over 25 years before any pilot ever got one of the rings (and the associated car). There are 75 to 100 balloonists participating in this Key Grab. It is interesting to see them queue on the edge of the field to attack the poles. Today we are lucky – one of the balloonists gets a key! Following the Key Grab, we move to the concession stands that run along the edge of the balloon field. Apparently the tradition in Albuquerque is to enjoy a breakfast burrito as you watch the balloons launch. When we visited this event before, Gary had bananas Foster French toast. He has been looking forward to repeating that breakfast but alas all we find is the breakfast burrito – kind of a come-down. From breakfast on the field, we return to the motor home. The Wymans arrive shortly and are positioned almost directly behind us – great luck. We spend the rest of the day visiting, catching up on a little paperwork and visiting the International Hot Air Balloon Museum – located on the balloon field. Lunch and dinner are at the motor home. Every evening during the Fiesta, a Balloon Glow is scheduled on the balloon field. For a glow, the balloons are inflated but tethered on the field. As darkness comes, the balloons receive a shot of fire from their lp-gas tanks and light. This is always a popular and pretty event. Tonight, however, for the first this year, the Balloon Glow has been cancelled – too much wind. However, the day-ending fireworks still happen – a very pretty way to end a long day!

Advertisement