Albuquerque and Balloon Fiesta

Albuquerque

After departing Ridgway State Park, we headed over to the Southwest corner of Colorado and then due South on US 491 into New Mexico. This drive takes you through a lot of Navajo reservation. It is a dry, rocky land that while beautiful in its own way, it is hard to imagine trying to make a living there.

At Gallup, NM, we turned East and hopped on I40 and drove until we arrived at our stop for the night - Walmart in Grants, NM. This was situated right off the exit. We always look for these brief stop over locations, Walmart, Cabelas, etc on Allstays to see if they offer overnight stays to RVers.  I went in and checked with the greeter and she said no problem (no big parties!) the store was clean and I picked up a few necessities while in there. Later, when I took CJ for his last walk of the day, around 9:30 PM, there were a dozen RVs in the lot for the night. Glad we got there early to get a good spot!

With no rush the next morning to move on to Albuquerque, we had an extra cup of coffee, cleaned the windshield, checked the oil and departed around 8:30. back on I40 East, pulling off at Love's just West of the city for gas and propane. We had several hours to kill before being able to check in at the KOA for the night, so we headed over to Petroglyphs National Monument. Located at the West edge of the city, a few miles North of the Interstate, this is comprised of several rocky ridges several miles apart. You park, get out and hikes several hundred yds to a mile or so, and along the ay, you can observe hundreds of petroglyphs! Some are quite noticeable and intricate. We had seen numerous petroglyphs in Arizona and Utah last year, but not in these quantities. To get to the various sites, we dropped the Jeep from the RV at the Visitors Center and went from there. returning to the RV, we fired up the generator, started both AC units and made a quick lunch. (the temp in the RV was over 90 when we returned at 12:30).

hundreds of Petroglyphs!

Now we could continue to our campsite for the night, the KOA located just off I40 East of the city. We arrived, checked in, followed our escort to our site, pulled in and connected to water and power. With full hookups, we took showers and later dumped out waste tanks before delivering our cargo to its destination.

When we left PA, we were given 3 cartons of family heirloom china to deliver to Cindy's cousin's sister-in-law in Albuquerque. Now, 6 weeks later, packages delivered. Carolyn and Peter treated us to a tasty dinner in gratitude for our efforts and we spent a pleasant evening chatting and getting acquainted. Of course, we hit them up on what to see and where to go in the area!

After a rainy, thunder filled night, we awoke around 6 am, inhaled breakfast, disconnected, pulled in the slides and headed out. Destination - The Balloon Fiesta!! We had a site in the newly added North RV lot, immediately adjacent to the launch field. A 20 minute drive up I25 and we were exiting and pulling in to await the 8am gate opening. The Fiesta opened the following morning, but with a 6am start, it is best to come in the day before and while we had a site, it is first come first placed! By 8:30 we were parked and setup in our home for the next 4 days. Just a gravel and asphalt lot, no hookups, but 75 yds away is the entrance gate and launch field just beyond that.

after almost a year of waiting - Balloon Fiesta!

Over 500 hot air balloons of various colors and some interesting shapes (including Darth Vader, Yoda, Angry Birds, Penguins and....Smokey the Bear!) are on site for this annual event. What started with 13 balloons in 1972 had grown to a major world event. We found out later (after observing the phenomenon several times) that Albuquerque has a unique air current pattern call the Box. This pattern allows the balloons to move in different directions depending on what altitude that are at. We would see balloons going South only to be coming back North minutes later! Really interesting.

After setting up the RV, we left the area to head into the city for the day (Fiesta not opening until the follow morning at 6 am with Dawn Patrol).  As it was approaching lunchtime, we headed to El Pinto or some local New Mexico food. Peter and Carolyn recommended El Pinto and we were not disappointed. CJ was allowed to join us on the covered patio. We would go there again if in the area.

El Pinto - very nice and not far from Fiesta!

Cindy on patio at El Pinto

After a nice buffet lunch, we headed over to walk it off at the Rio Grande Nature Center. The brief rains had abated and Cindy and I took turns enjoying the 1.5 mile hike over to the Rio Grande  and back. I saw several Road Runners on my hike.

Road Runners - BEEP BEEP

Not having any events back at the Fiesta, we kept sightseeing and drove into the heart of the city. Old Town was next and was very crowded and interesting. Many of the original buildings are now shops and in addition, in the center of the square, a local band was performing. Very nice. We kept going, headed to Knob Hill. An older, more traditional, if quirky neighborhood. Just not used to houses with flat roofs!

Our final stop before returning to camp, was Cabelas. My new hiker boots had ripped out and I had returned them back in August. I received my refund while on the road and this was a convenient time to get my replacements. I had worn the Cabelas brand for years, but now decided to try something different.  I selected  a pair of waterproof Merrills and so far I am very pleased.

Back at the RV, CJ got a long walk, we grilled dinner and settled in for the evening. A big day awaited us!

Saturday morning around 5 am we were awakened by the sound of several helicopters circling the area. Upon opening the front curtains, we looked upon the launch area bathed in the light of numerous generator powered flood lights. The 2019 Balloon Fiesta had started! The first item on the agenda is for a half dozen balloons (Dawn Patrol) to launch and check out the air currents aloft. This helps determine if conditions are suitable for the remaining hundreds of balloons to safely follow suit. We gulped our coffee, dressed warmly, bid CJ a "we'll be back" and headed out to the entrance gate. Passing through security, we purchased our entrance tick for the morning session, got scanned in and headed down to the launch field. On the filed, numerous balloons were inflated and many more in the process of being pulled out of their storage bags and getting ready to be inflated. A sizable crowd of several thousand was eagerly awaiting the "mass ascension" where approx. 500+ balloons launch in a very short amount of time. Many of the balloons were affecting a "glow" (where the gas burners illuminates the balloon like a giant lightning bug). We sat and ate our breakfast burritos (recommend don't get the green chile -too much of a good thing) taking in all this activity. It is a big deal. It seemed like it was a go! The green flag was up, but then to great disappointment, the green flag was down. No mass ascension that morning. We would have to wait until dusk  for more events (the mid day is pretty much quiet all week, even the vendors close their tents. We would spend the afternoon reading and sitting in the shade as the intense traffic this event generates precludes leaving the area.

Dawn Patrol - Glow

Around 6 pm we again made our way back to the launch field (again paying the $10 admission) to get ready for the "Twilight Twinkle Glow" As dusk approached, hundreds of inflated balloons began glowing randomly! a fantastic sight that is amazing to behold. Being amongst the balloons as this occurs is a feast for the eyes. You have to be there. (I was interviewed by the local NBC affiliate just before the glow began!)

Twilight Glow - go on line and look at videos!!

The glow lasted until full darkness set in and then in a matter of a few minutes, the balloons were deflated and packed away. We returned to the RV and prepared CJ for the fireworks launch that was about to begin immediately behind our camp area!! CJ made it through with the help of a doggie downer and his "happy hoodie". It was very loud, but only lasted about 15 minutes.

Sunday morning started the same way, but this time, the  "mass ascension" was a go!!!! We were down on the field and right in the midst of it!  Over 500 balloons, some larger than a small house, inflating and launching into the Albuquerque Box! Fantastic and we are told that this is the only place where spectators are allowed on the field. A bucket list item to be sure. It is hard to imagine the impact on your senses both visual and audio with hundreds of gas burners inflating these colorful air bags. Up they rise, into the box and so they travel back and forth rising and descending to catch the various currents. As things would down, we made our way back to the RV and CJ. Reading, surfing the net and relaxing consumed most of the day. I did wander back to the filed around mid day to view the car show. Small, but nice. Some interesting vehicles of note - 1968 GTO Hardtop (my first car), a very nice 1971 Dodge Challenger with a 426 Hemi, several nice late 1950's Chevy Pickups and a nicely restored 1965 Corvair Convertible.

takes a while to unpack and inflate!

Mass Ascension!

always a favorite

many character balloons as well

As dusk approached, we again walked back to the filed for another "glow". This time we went to a different area of the field to be among different balloons. Again a very exciting event. Then back to the RV to get CJ ready for another round of Fireworks (weekends only) CJ endured the booms as well as can be expected and we then settled in for the night.

Monday morning we again awoke around 5 am to helicopters overhead but we had a different plan for  the day. We opened the curtains and enjoyed the Dawn Patrol and launch from the comfort of our front seats! Eating breakfast and drinking coffee while the sky in front of us filled with the balloons. Way cool. Cindy was following the Fiesta   on her iPhone app, so we knew it was a green flag. The remainder of the day was spent relaxing, getting the RV ready to once again hit the road and of course, walking CJ. There were no Fiesta events scheduled for Monday night. However, due to the weather conditions from the weekend, the American Challenge Gas Balloon competition was on for Monday around 8 pm.


After supper, we walked over to the edge of the field to view the Gas Balloons, No colorful (mostly white) these balloons are filled with lighter than air gas - hydrogen or helium. There take off at set times and attempt to see who can get the greatest distance before having to touch down. This is a big deal, originating years ago in France. We set an alarm for later to make sure we were outside and watched when liftoff was scheduled. We watched from outside our RV and the first one left around 8:20, followed every few minutes by another gas balloon. Cindy had an app for this as well. By Wednesday morning, they were 1800 kilometers away heading towards the Great Lakes and Canada!

Tuesday morning, our last in Albuquerque and Fiesta, started the same. The Dawn Patrol, then a general launch with hundreds of balloons moving back and forth. However, as we sat and watched, some began coming down right around our RV! Within 50 yds behind us, several came down. Our neighbor ran out to assist and I got in gear and followed suit. Afterwards, the pilot, Gerry Graft, informed me that the nylon bag weighs 350 lbs and the basket with propane tanks, etc is another 300 lbs. A very interesting close to a very enjoyable and exciting experience.

morning view from our RV

some of these came down right behind us!

We finished closing up the RV, hooked up the Jeep and minutes later we were heading out and getting on I 25 North towards our next destination - Santa Fe!


if you are interested in the Balloon Fiesta, make your arrangements early and try to attend over one of the two weekends. It is a big, big deal and RV spaces sellout quickly.

take care - CJ