After
staying in Tucson much longer than we had planned, we headed
east toward the Gila Mountains in New Mexico. We spent a
night near Glenwood and then continued east to Socorro where we
stayed at a city RV/camping area. From Socorro, we headed
north to ABQ and with no prior knowledge or forethought had the luck
to on-site the Albuquerque (ABQ) Balloon Fiesta. This
yearly gathering is the biggest event in ABQ and this year it
attracted tens of thousands of visitors. As a consequence,
there was no way were going to get a place to stay at either a
motel or an RV site. So, out of desperation, we did
something a bit different.
The photos below are what we saw.
With no
lodging or parking opportunities available, we stayed at the
location of last resort -- Walmart's parking lot. The
price was right, but the ambiance was somewhat lacking. We
did, however, get free wifi from Party City.
We took
Uber from Walmart to the Balloon Park. We spotted this
statue but never got a clear shot. So instead, I have a
very nice photo of somebody else's wife. To get to the
main area we had to walk through the on-site RV parking and
there were thousands of high-dollar rigs parked cheek-to-jowl.
We got
to the park early, but there was still a river of humanity along
the concession stands.
Close to
sundown, a number of balloons launched in the calm air. I
do not know if these balloons were part of the festival or were
private balloons.
The
festivities started with a group of skydivers. This one
hauled a huge flag with a weight below.
Earlier
in the day there had been a chain-saw carving contest.
These turtles were Kathleen's favorites.
This
carving was quite astounding and was very intricate.
A group
of Spanish dancers worked their way down the sidewalk.
As
sundown approached the balloons were inflated. Canon was
the sponsor of the festival and their balloon was inflated
first. Being a photo-fan, I visited their booth and was
interested to hear that they had just released their mirrorless
camera. Several years behind the competition but better
late than never.
Within
minutes the launch area was crowded with balloon crews inflating
their craft.
I did
not expect shaped balloons, so I was astounded by the variety of
shapes.
This
balloon looks like a drunk who did a face plant.
It took
many minutes for the larger balloons to fully inflate.
The
"face plant" turned out to be Scooby Doo in a hat. That
was interesting, but not nearly as interesting as the lifelike
head.
The
launch area was being flooded with spectators wanting a closer
look.
The
propane burners make a loud whoosh when they are engaged.
We were
treated to an awesome sunset. The BLM brush-rig at the
right of the photo was just one of the many fire trucks that
were on site.
As the
daylight waned, the burners produced a nice glow inside the
balloons.
Some of
the balloons were extremely complex and artistic.
I am
sure that these balloons cost a fortune.
The waning
daylight highlighted the glow from the burners.
The
lighter colored balloons produced the best glow.
There
were gazillion people in the launch area.
Not all
the balloons were themed.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2018, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.