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International Balloon Fiesta a photographer’s dream
  
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Capturing America
By Jim and Jane Whitcomb
Every October for nine days the sky in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico are decorated with every color imaginable. It’s the International Balloon Fiesta. Jim and I heard about the event while we were at the Grand Canyon.
We had not planned to attend but felt it was just too great an opportunity to be a part of this annual event. The event is reported to be the world’s most widely photographed spectator event. For a photographer that was just too irresistible to pass up. So off we went.
As many as 750 balloons gather every year from around the world to fill the sky. One of best seats in the house is a bluff overlooking balloon park. RV’s pay $100 a day to park there with no services but the scenery is the best. You can sit in or outside your RV and watch the activities 24 hours a day and some of these balloon activities go on long into the early morning hours. If you chose to go to ground zero bring your wide-angle lens because you can get very close and personal with the balloons.
The early morning balloon ascensions begin early at 5:45 a.m. with the dawn patrol show followed by the ascensions of all balloons beginning at 7 a.m. Don’t worry if you’re late. Not all balloons lift off together and while some are going up others are inflating and all can be seen way into late morning.
On weekend evenings there is an exciting balloon glow. The hot air balloons are inflated and lit creation a stunning painted landscape of color and light. The event ends with a fireworks show.
We attended the gas balloon liftoff. Most of the decorated balloons are filled with hot air. The gases filled balloons are mostly white while some are decorated and these are filled with nitrogen. The objective is not necessarily beauty but function, which balloon can travel the further. The Gas Balloon Race is a yearly event with entries from around the world. The balloon traveling the further distance is declared the winner. Some gas balloons travel as far as Canada! This year’s winner was a British adventurer who traveled 1,200 miles to snare the win. It is the first time in the history of the race that a British team has claimed victory. Austria’s finished second, and Cuneo of the U.S. finished third.
Next to the balloon fiesta is the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, dedicated to the art, culture, history, art, and the sport of lighter–than–air craft. During balloon fiesta the museum has extended hours. It’s a great place to get the history of ballooning and to see some fantastic balloons up close any time of the year.
While in Albuquerque visit Old Town, the serene village that has been the focal point of community life since 1706. There are more than 150 shops and boutiques to experience and local southwest restaurants.
We left Albuquerque and headed for El Paso, our gateway into Texas. Just before we reached the Texas border all traffic came to a stop. It was a roadblock! All vehicles were detoured and some were searched. The border patrol was out in full force. We saw trucks, cars, RV’s and vans being searched but we were waived on. How welcome it was to cross that Texas state line. Just as we reached the border we could see rain clouds and thunderstorms in the distance. A beautiful rainbow appeared and we knew we were home.
Driving through West Texas we were surprised to see how green the desert was. The desert was alive with yellow flowers and the native grasses with their seedpods were dancing in the wind. The beauty of the desert was a sight so magical we were tempted to spend another month exploring. But we were already a month over schedule and our house needed attention from Hurricane Ike.
When we arrived at home we opened the door of the RV and waited to see what reaction Squeek, our cat, would have. Squeek walked down the steps of the RV, looked around exploring his home territory and then walked through his cat door. Before he entered the house he looked back at the RV, shoot his front foot in disapproval and disappeared. He was home and he was happy!
Next week we will give our final thoughts of the trip and some insight to RVing. Join us!
We had not planned to attend but felt it was just too great an opportunity to be a part of this annual event. The event is reported to be the world’s most widely photographed spectator event. For a photographer that was just too irresistible to pass up. So off we went.
As many as 750 balloons gather every year from around the world to fill the sky. One of best seats in the house is a bluff overlooking balloon park. RV’s pay $100 a day to park there with no services but the scenery is the best. You can sit in or outside your RV and watch the activities 24 hours a day and some of these balloon activities go on long into the early morning hours. If you chose to go to ground zero bring your wide-angle lens because you can get very close and personal with the balloons.
The early morning balloon ascensions begin early at 5:45 a.m. with the dawn patrol show followed by the ascensions of all balloons beginning at 7 a.m. Don’t worry if you’re late. Not all balloons lift off together and while some are going up others are inflating and all can be seen way into late morning.
On weekend evenings there is an exciting balloon glow. The hot air balloons are inflated and lit creation a stunning painted landscape of color and light. The event ends with a fireworks show.
We attended the gas balloon liftoff. Most of the decorated balloons are filled with hot air. The gases filled balloons are mostly white while some are decorated and these are filled with nitrogen. The objective is not necessarily beauty but function, which balloon can travel the further. The Gas Balloon Race is a yearly event with entries from around the world. The balloon traveling the further distance is declared the winner. Some gas balloons travel as far as Canada! This year’s winner was a British adventurer who traveled 1,200 miles to snare the win. It is the first time in the history of the race that a British team has claimed victory. Austria’s finished second, and Cuneo of the U.S. finished third.
Next to the balloon fiesta is the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, dedicated to the art, culture, history, art, and the sport of lighter–than–air craft. During balloon fiesta the museum has extended hours. It’s a great place to get the history of ballooning and to see some fantastic balloons up close any time of the year.
While in Albuquerque visit Old Town, the serene village that has been the focal point of community life since 1706. There are more than 150 shops and boutiques to experience and local southwest restaurants.
We left Albuquerque and headed for El Paso, our gateway into Texas. Just before we reached the Texas border all traffic came to a stop. It was a roadblock! All vehicles were detoured and some were searched. The border patrol was out in full force. We saw trucks, cars, RV’s and vans being searched but we were waived on. How welcome it was to cross that Texas state line. Just as we reached the border we could see rain clouds and thunderstorms in the distance. A beautiful rainbow appeared and we knew we were home.
Driving through West Texas we were surprised to see how green the desert was. The desert was alive with yellow flowers and the native grasses with their seedpods were dancing in the wind. The beauty of the desert was a sight so magical we were tempted to spend another month exploring. But we were already a month over schedule and our house needed attention from Hurricane Ike.
When we arrived at home we opened the door of the RV and waited to see what reaction Squeek, our cat, would have. Squeek walked down the steps of the RV, looked around exploring his home territory and then walked through his cat door. Before he entered the house he looked back at the RV, shoot his front foot in disapproval and disappeared. He was home and he was happy!
Next week we will give our final thoughts of the trip and some insight to RVing. Join us!
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