Balloons

[RP#62]

If you've never been to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, you need to put it on your bucket list.  We checked it off this past weekend.  It was awesome.  There were 500 balloons.  There was no restriction on where you could be.  You are allowed to walk in the middle of the set up and launching (they just ask that you don't step on balloons being set up).  The last day is this Sunday (10/9).

-RP

[Misfit]

Cool! Thanks for the pics. 

[Jess from VA]

I'd really like a ride in one.   

[old2soon]

While I don't believe it was any sort of festival I have seen them up around Alamosa Colorado couple times years back. BIG SILENT almost-MAJESTIC. 500 of em GOTTA be a Sight.  RIDE SAFE.

[mark81]

I remember seeing a few floating through the sky as a kid and was fascinated by them. Its been years since I have seen one.

[robin]

It's on my list

[JimmyG]

My brother lives there and goes every year. He's been try :)ng to get me to come for years. I really need to go.

[hukmut]

Went to a balloon festvin Tulsa years ago. There was a balloon in the shape of a bag of groceries. There was also a big dinosaur. It was a tyrannosaurus. The morning paper showed a picture of it laying across a house. Headlines: TYRANNOSAURUS WRECKS


ride safe, y'all.

[CajunRider]

Great pics!!!  Thanks for sharing! 

There's a yearly balloon festival in Natchez, MS.  Well... they call it a "Balloon Race".  I guess the winner is the person that finds the best wind.

It's coming up soon!!  http://www.natchezballoonrace.com/

It is well worth the trip.  Unfortunately, it is VERY hard to find hotel rooms, so be sure to call in advance.  I know of some that reserve a year in advance. 

[Bighead]

Yeah was there a few days ago and it caused the hotel rooms rates to sky rocket  I had forgotten it was going on or would have avoided it like the plague.

[Mr Whiskey]

DarkSide!
Luv it!!
Definitely on our "bucket list",
thanks for sharin'

[BonS]

I love it! I was fortunate to have a hot air balloon summer gig back in ~1966 as crew and chase car duty. It was fun, insane and scary. Things were always going wrong. Fires from leaky plumbing, wind gusts sending things out of control, and when landing dealing with power lines, pine trees (Houston) and barbed wire fences. Heck, we even crash landed on top of a car in a parking lot when we were doing a grocery store gig. We only had a single tether and a wind gust forced us over the parked cars and pulled us down. We crushed the sheet metal of the roof with the basket. The balloon owner was forced to sell it, by his wife, after he jumped out of the basket, breaking his leg, to get rid of weight as it was about to hit a power line. Great memories! 

[Sorcerer]

I crewed for our friend that lived in Holland Mich. back in the mid 80s. Albuquerque was a treat, yet a ton of work. And a little nerve racking trying to get him launched safely. The year we were there a couple of people were killed when one came up under another knocking people out of the baskit. The neat thing thay can do in Albuquerque is what they call " flying the box". They take off from the launch field and fly a square and land back at the launch field. Of course us living in Minnesota thought going to New Mexico would be be warm. Frost in the am to 80s in the pm. We had to go shopping for warm clothing.