October 1, 2015

Today we left Santa Fe and headed for Albuquerque.  Because the trip only took about 90 minutes, we decided to take a side trip. We exited I-25 and headed towards Cochiti Lake. On the way,  there is a fairly new national monument.  The Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument was instituted to preserve geologic, scenic and cultural values.  The Bureau of Land Management has a partnership with the Pueblo de Cochiti.  While different areas of the west are noted for their peculiar shapes of rock formations, the Tent Rocks follows that same trend.

The rocks look similar to tents as seen here.  On closer look, the rocks resemble concrete but the texture of the rock is a lot softer.

This shot shows the tent rocks stacked on top of each other.

Cochiti Lake and Dam was completed in 1975 and serves to control flood and sediment. It is located about 50 miles up river from Albuquerque on the Rio Grande River. Water for this lake is imported from the Colorado River Basin to the Rio Grande Basin via the San Juan project across the Continental Divide.

We finally arrived in Albuquerque and decided to visit the Balloon Museum.  It was nice to get some useful tips for seeing the Balloon Fiesta....and nobody said look up.  The estimated number of visitors is now over 800,000.  The weather forecast is for a good Saturday morning liftoff but becomes more doubtful as the day goes on.

and we weren't even scared at all.

For those familiar with the events in Presque Isle Maine in 1978...this is not the real Eagle II.  The original is in the Smithsonian.  Maxie Anderson and Ben Abruzzio, co commanders and Radio Operator Larry Newman completed the trip in 137 hours, 5 minutes and 50 seconds, landing in Misery France on August 17th 1978. They are credited with completing the First Trans-Atlantic Balloon Flight.

 We are looking forward to experiencing the festival.  Spectators are allowed on the field prior to liftoff to get up close and personal with the pilots.  It is also the beginning of the contest to see which balloon can travel the furthest.

When ready, the balloons are lined up on the field and are released several minutes apart to avoid playing bumper balloons.