Wednesday, October 13, 2010

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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