Hot Air Balloon FIESTA!

"The Greatest Show OFF Earth!"
That's what the papers say about the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. I say it's better than Christmas morning!! Wow- what a day!

George & I left for the fiesta around 5:30am Sunday morning to see the Mass Ascention. That's where ALL the balloons go up! As we neared the Fiesta field, traffic was backed up considerably. It was pitch black out yet & chilly. We could see some balloons filled up & glowing in the dark!
The "Dawn Patrol" balloons went up to check wind & weather conditions. It was so exciting!
They had everything running very efficiently to get hundreds of cars parked. We didn't have to walk far into the field at all.

There were tons & tons of people! It was kind of strange to see so many people milling about a festival, with loads of food & gift vendor, in the dark! You could feel the excitement in the air (no pun intended!). People were getting food, hot drinks, all bundled up in their jackets, gloves & hats. George got coffee, I got a breakfast burrito & we headed out to the field. Loads of people were finding their spots on the grass with chairs, blankets or standing. Crews were starting to lay out their balloons to start filling them. Everyone had their own assigned location to set up.
There were rows of balloons in the field. Some were flat on the ground, just being laid out, other rows were starting to inflate. It was such a thrill to see all the colors & patterns unfurl. Geometric designs, stripes, southwest patterns were common to see. I was almost giddy with delight discovering the "special shape" balloons such as a sun, alien, clown, a cow, a pig, bees, even Darth Vador!I was glad I brought gloves! Otherwise I think I would have had trouble pressing the buttons on my camera-it was cold!

We ran into a friend of Susan & George-David, his one son & in-laws. The in-laws were from Jersey so we were chatting it up. Nice people~ It was funny to run into them there- like finding a needle in a haystack!

We stood in the field watching all the balloons gradually take off. Oone row would be blown up & ready, then they would lift off one by one. Everyone on the ground would cheer & applaud! Then the next row would take off, then the next & the next until about 350 balloons were filling the sky!! It was spectacular!! An unbelievable sight that I highly recommend everyone see at least once in their life! I believe they hit a record with how many balloons there were this year.

When they're all up, there's not much else to see so everyone starts heading out. George & I putzed around the vendor tents, I got a cinnamon bun & chai tea as we waited for the crowds to leave. I had a great time looking at all the tents. I got a commemorative pin which are very popular. Each year they have different ones to collect.

There was a fabulous arts & crafts tent that I could have spent WAY too much money in! Beautiful artwork, metal sculptures, jewelry & more were there by the artists. George told me that Susan would take me to a much bigger art/craft show nearby later in the day. Woohoo! I did get a unique necklace there handmade by a woman in Hawaii. I was about to ask her if she offered a multi-purchase discount! I could have come away from there with a bag full-her stuff was so beautiful!

Leaving was much better -the crowds were gone & we sailed out of there with no problem.
Such an incredible experience!!! I can't wait to see my pictures developed~