October 3, 2015--more Balloon Fiesta

Continued...more pics from this mornings Balloon Fiesta.  If you see a duplicate pic or balloon, Tom was having so much fun taking pics, it really didn't matter.

Straight up

What a great way to advertise...any where from 60 to 100 thousand plus, depending on the cost of the canopy.

The launch field itself is in the range of 80 acres...enough for 500+ balloons to launch in a 2 hour time span.  Still plenty of room for spectators to roam for a while the canopy is laid out on the field in preparation for blowup and launch. 

Darth Vader was here.

...and of course Yoda

The Wells Fargo Wagon took a long time to get blown up.

Wonder Bread wasn't the only advertiser

Plenty of balloons in just one direction.  The wind was gently swirling so they were in all directions, some catching the wrong swirl and already a couple of miles away.

After what seemed like over an hour, the stagecoach never did get launched.

The 3 bees inflated and went light all at the same time.

The chick ready to hatch...float away.

Excuse me...you are in my way.

The young and the old...from all around the world

Sometimes you have to wait for a balloon to get airborne and see if it turns to see all of it.

Still waiting for the frog to turn.

Any day is a day to remember.

Finally a front view of the frog...with company.

Shortly before the Wells Fargo wagon folded.

The pilots only have control of up and down on where they are going to land.  This one was up on the hill from the launch field.  You need a good crew of chasers to come back down.

Plenty of vendor tents that had people set up and getting ready for breakfast since a little after midnight.  Breakfast burrito anyone?

Several balloons wee double-sided.

Just a few left to launch.

A crowd, you were thinking?...thousands upon thousands, speaking untold languages.

Caught the cow strolling off to pasture quite a ways away.

The bees hanging around close by.

All 3 bees shortly after launch.

Finally the 3rd side of the birds twirls into view.

For those skilled pilots that managed to swirl close by...the chance to land right near by.

First part, be lucky to be over the field with a gentle incoming breeze.

Second, pull the top hole cover to let out the hot air.

 Then fold the canopy just right and hole it with velcro straps.

Load it in.  Many were in the back of a pickup if they had a small basket.

 Another good take down

The morning session was over around 10:30.Time to go back to the bus.  What we didn't know was that the line back to the bus headed for our section of the city was well over 1/4 mile long.  Luckily this was very well organized and the line only took about 40 minutes to get us on the bus, then the 11 mile trip to get back to the car.  Hint, remember what section you left your car in or it might be a little longer.

Balloon Festival-10/3

Today is the opening of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, which rhymes with siesta which is what we need after getting up at 3.  We awoke at 3 to go into the city to catch the buses that would take us to the Festival fields.
School buses from nearby cities were here to transport thousands of people.

Before 4:30 and the masses are beginning to gather.

After 25 minutes on the bus...we arrive.

Pilots and crews are beginning to get everything assembled.

Inflating begins...first the fans to begin filling up in this one, 105,000 cubic feet of space.

Liftoff goes very orderly....somewhat.  Balloons are sent off by rows, generally 1 at a time

Once the gas operated fans have done their job it's time for the propane burners.
Tom was lucky to pick this pilot and Balloon to hang around and take pictures and viseo of while waiting for the Dawn Patrol to lift.   See  Tim Taylor and the Dee III
For a video, not mine... see Tim Taylor and crew launch of Dee III

Tom was standing right behind the basket getting nice and warm.

The Dawn Patrol starts off at 6 am to test weather conditions. This may be more of a formality however because weather conditions are good for liftoff and besides, small balloons have already been sent aloft and info gathered.  The info is useful because the wind speed and direction isn't always the same as ground leve.

Finally the balloon and crew are up...not the first because they were in the middle of the row.

 

The balloons are spread out on the ground.  The one on the right is a brand new one that measures 310,000 cubic feet.

The "Zebras" as they are known are the ones that control who goes off in what order.

 More balloons ready for their turn.

The Fiesta Balloon.

Grammie got out in front of the crowd for her Where's Grammie picture...and then many followed for their selfies.

More often than not, there is usually someone who will ask if we both want to be in the picture.

Tom practicing on the wide angle pictures.

The Vegas balloon was the one where Grammie was standing in front.

Balloons and people galore.

The next several shots will have no comment.  Maybe later.  Hope all you kids enjoy!

Plenty more pictures to post later.

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.