mission: dawn patrol

warning: the dawn patrol show is not for the faint at heart. why, you may ask? for starters, if you want to catch a bus from the park and ride, which comes highly recommended, one must wake up around 4:30 a.m. (and that was so we could make it to the park and ride at 5 a.m. which was 5 minutes down the road). mind you, it is still very dark outside at this time of day, and the sleep still very much overtaking your body.

so we hitch a ride to the balloon fiesta site, and we wait in the freezing cold until dawn was upon us. as we waited, we did eat some super spicy but ever delicioso breakfast burritos, complete with green chile sauce. this kept our mouths blazing hot and in return kept the rest of our bodies toasty. i was sad when i was completely stuffed with burrito that i could not finish the last two bites for some extra warmth. aunt sue did have some specially delivered kona coffee to last us a little while longer, however.

finally, the moment arrived, and the dozen of hot air balloons began to inflate. they even glowed (still dark) and all of the pilots were announced. one by one, they set off, and thus began the next event, the morning ascension. this is when all 600+ balloons are sent off into the atmosphere one by one and usually takes a couple of hours to complete. it was yet another amazing sight as we gazed into the sky watching the large balloons turn into tiny droplets as they drifted away from the field.

a great experience about this fiesta, as i mentioned in the prior post, is that you get to walk amongst the balloons and capture the entire process of an ascension. you get to see the pilots with their chase teams (the people who pick up a balloon after it has landed somewhere) unload the basket from a truck bed, spread the yards and yards of balloon fabric into its designated area, observe the flame being tested (bring your marshmallows), and finally the inflation. if you have never watched this process being done, let me tell you, it is extensive and takes a great team to pull it off without a hitch.

after the several hours of watching the balloons take off, the adrenaline wore off and sleep took us over once again. we had to nap so that we could take on one more balloon glow in the evening. that one is not worth blogging about because the wind conditions were too high to really have a proper glow. a good dozen or so were inflated, but the rest remained on the ground. i do want to say that the very last fireworks show of the festival was fantastic, even better than the night before, not to mention the amazing sunset we had. all in all, it was a good way to end the 2010 balloon fiesta.

patrick, aunt sue, and i did other things in albuquerque during our stay, and so in my next post i will give you the top 5 things you should do on your next visit to this quirky yet fascinating city.

this is beth signing off.

mission: accomplished

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mission: albuquerque balloon fiesta

every year in the city of albuquerque the largest congregation of hot air balloons during the first week of october. it is the highlight for new mexicans and fellow lovers of balloons from around the world! this year, big apple beth got the chance to go, and boy did i have a wonderful time.

i kind of have it easy making arrangements because my aunt susan lives and works out there, and with her as our guide, we didn't have difficulty maneuvering what events to attend, when to leave, and having the knowledge to take the bus rather than driving ourselves to the fiesta site. and might i add, the bus drivers and volunteers at this massive event were all kind and helpful!

after walking around the grounds for a bit, checking out the food options (lots and lots of fried delights and of course turkey legs) and take home souvenirs, our first fiesta activity was the friday night glow. the glow is when the balloonists inflate their balloon and firing them up so that it actually glows. this is all done while the balloons are tethered to the ground, and the guests can freely walk around the grounds taking pictures and walking beneath them. it is quite incredible, and i felt so small as i walked beneath the massive shapes. the glow that i went to consisted of all the special shaped balloons such as: spongebob, a cow named airabelle, a haunted house, two large boxing kangaroos, and family of bees! each new balloon that was inflated we exclaimed with glee, "is that a lady bug?" or "wow, it's darth vader's helmet!!!" it was so awesome, and there is no other word for it really. simply awesome.

as soon as it became dark, and the night air cooled off the desert, we settled into our folding camping chairs and watched a fireworks display. for those of you who don't know me, i LOVE fireworks! it was a fantastic show, but i was ready to head to bed, knowing that i had to wake up the following morning for the dawn patrol.

keep reading tomorrow as i explain how amazing the dawn patrol was! until then, this is beth signing off.

mission: accomplished.

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mission: almost like beginning again

tonight i watched julia and julia again, the movie that inspired me to write my food and travel blog about a year ago. i was hoping that within a year i would be able to write everything i did everyday so that i could gather my own following of people who were interested in my life in new york city and the travels in which i would partake. alas, my following is few, my blogs are sporadic, and writer's block has set in.

i wish i could write about some of the amazing things i have done in the past several months, like the over the rhine concert i went to at city winery or buying apple cider doughnuts at stew leonard's (which is the most awesome grocery store ever). but instead of back tracking and hoping for more consistency, i am going to begin anew.

so from this day forth, i will give you new adventures with full steam (until, as i predict, it will run out in a few months from now...again, but i will try not to let that happen).

this week is going to bring me lots of wonderfully exciting travel and possibilities. the first thing is happening tonight! my friends from college, josh and mandy harpold, are coming to visit us. it will be a short one, lasting roughly 12 hours for them, but it will be wonderful to see their smiling faces. funny how time flies so quickly the older we get. i haven't seen them in three years, the last time being at their beautiful kentucky wedding, but i suspect we will pick up right where we left off. that's what good friends do, and i should be so lucky to have some in my life.

the next thing going on this week is a trip to albuquerque, new mexico, to visit my aunt sue for the balloon fiesta! this fiesta happens every year, and i hear it is a most amazing sight to see. my aunt has us fully booked from dawn till dark, seeing the hot air balloons take off in the morning, glow in the twilight, and watching the fireworks light up the sky at night. not only that, we will hike, eat LOTS of mexican and drink some specially ordered kona coffee. i cannot wait.

to those who have been following my blog, thanks for hanging in there with me. i shall make my return a lasting one.

this is beth signing off.

mission: thank goodness for grace.

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