Balloon-o-mania
As previewed in our blog post on our time in New Mexico, trying to include the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in that post and making it a reasonable length was too much of a lift. Thus, our decision to give the Balloon Fiesta its full due with a blog post of its own. We'd been at the Fiesta once before, in 2021, and had always wanted to come back. The Balloon Fiesta is the world's premier ballooning event, and pilots (and visitors) come from around the world to attend. This year some 550 hot air balloons participated, and there were about 800,000 visitor admissions over the 9 days the Fiesta was held.
Getting an RV spot on the Fiesta grounds is a challenge. When reservations opened on January 28th, Doug was poised with 6 devices at the ready to jump into the online reservation queue at 8 am the day reservations opened - and we still didn't manage to snag a spot. We added ourselves on the wait list. Then, in a surprise email at the end of June, we were informed a spot had opened up, and we grabbed it immediately.
The Fiesta opened on Saturday, October 3. We drove down from Santa Fe on Friday and were led to our spot - in the RV campground section but about as far from the balloon field as you could get.
We joked about "being in the cheap seats" or calling ourselves "trailer trash." Fortunately, the Fiesta runs frequent bus shuttle service with multiple pickup spots in the campground.
We rose on Saturday morning at 5 am and caught a shuttle at 6, arriving at the balloon field while it was still dark and balloons were just starting to get set up. The opening ceremony started right at 7 am with a flyby and the national anthem, with ballooners firing their propane burners in response.
We decided to follow one balloon's setup from start to finish. It was called "Curiosity" (as in "...killed the cat.").
Most pilots bring their whole setup in a van, or even a large pickup truck. The balloons, made of silk, are removed from their travel bag and stretched out.
The balloon is hooked to the basket, which is laid on the ground on its side so all the connecting lines from the balloons can be attached and inspected. The gas burners are then attached to the basket.
Strong electric fans start the process of inflating the balloon.
With the basket still tipped over, the pilot then fires the propane jets to force hot air into the balloon. Since hot air rises, the balloon moves from horizontal to vertical, bringing the basket up along with it.
One of the things that's unique about the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is that crowds can walk around and among the balloons. Fiesta officials, referred to as Zebras due to their distinctive uniforms, ensure the crowds stay safe and clear people out of the way when the balloons are ready for takeoff.
Finally, the chase vehicle sets off to meet the balloon wherever it lands.
Most balloon teams have "trading cards" they pass out to visitors.
Balloons are set up in rows, and a single row gets ready to launch at around the same time. When they're about to take off, the next row over starts setting up. Across the launch field, there are about 10-12 rows altogether in various stages of preparation.
Many balloons are already in the air by the time the sun rises in the east...
...and all the balloons are in the air by 9 am.
One of the special things about the Balloon Fiesta (for us and many others) is the large number of character balloons.
Two fan favorites are Yoda and Darth Vader from Star Wars. They are owned by a guy from Belgium. We learned about the agreement he worked out with George Lucas who was very insistent on the authenticity of the balloons, as well as the costumes of the assistants at events. Yoda still flies, but Darth Vader does not (it's more than 20 years old and its inside coating is not in good shape) - however, it travels to balloon festivals all over the world. We learned that Darth is waiting to get back into the UK factory where he was made for a face lift and recoating the inside of the silk balloon. The owners would like to do more extensive work on Darth, but since Disney now owns Star Wars, they would have to re-negotiate the entire license agreement. That was a bridge too far, and it is unlikely that there will be a Baby Yoda in the offing.
In addition to the full-size balloons, there are also smaller remote-controlled balloons on display.
We were usually on the bus and on our way back to the RV by 10 am. The drivers (and passengers) were always in a festive mood. A lot of bad Dad jokes were told by the bus driver. One bus ride featured a Karaoke singalong.
At nighttime, the ride felt even more like a party bus!
As this was the weekend, there were additional evening activities. We'd head back over to the launch field around 5:30 pm and arrive as golden hour light was reflecting off Sandia Peak to the east of the city.
The first activity is called Twilight Glow. As long as the wind was calm, several dozen balloons set up. They didn't take off - instead, they sat stationary on the ground. The announcer did a countdown, and at zero they all fired off their propane burners. This was repeated about 10 times.
After the balloons had been deflated and packed away, there was a drone show. You may have seen videos of these - they are even more impressive in person. The theme for this year's show was the 100th anniversary of Route 66.
They topped off the evening with a fireworks show (please forgive the poor focus).
Although we were scheduled to leave on Monday morning, we got up at 7 am and set up chairs close to our RV. The wind was relatively calm, and balloons floated peacefully overhead.
We went back inside the RV to pack up. About 10 minutes later, we heard a very loud "whoosh" overhead. We rushed outside to see a balloon basket passing no more than five feet above our roof, with the pilot desperately trying to gain altitude (fortunately he made it!).
You've already seen the rest of the story in our previous blog post. We left the Fiesta grounds and drove to the Albuquerque Elks Lodge for a couple of days to pack up and ready the Ciaowagen for storage and the Fittata for the drive home to Virginia.
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