Skywatch Friday: Bird's Eye View

A couple weeks ago we loaded up the RV and made the trip down to Albuquerque, NM for the International Balloon Fiesta.

They have quite the set up for RV's.  There are various levels of campsites VIP to Standard--over 1800 sites.  We got a last minute reservation for a Standard site.  Basically, it's rally style, dry camping.  What that means is that you park right next to each other in a line and there are no amenities--electric, water, or sewer.  This was fine with us because we were there to see balloons.

The first morning was a bit of a disappointment because it was too windy to launch, but every morning after that was outstanding!

What was really cool about being in the RV lot was that the balloons would launch from the field about a mile away and then they would float right over us.

Every morning we would roll out of bed when we heard the first burner above us.  

In the middle of the RVs there is an empty field called the "box".  This is where balloons can quickly land if they don't feel comfortable continuing with their flight.  Every morning this guy was out there helping to catch the many balloons who chose to land.

Here's a short video of him in action. 

This rig wins the best viewing award.  It looks like someone modified an old bus with a platform on top--it's probably the party wagon at all tail gate parties.

When we weren't watching balloons we were visiting family.  Unfortunately we weren't able to visit everyone in the short time we were there, but for those we did see we had a great time.  This is the house I grew up in.  I haven't lived there in 40+ years, but whoever owns it now has really made it look nice.  

We also did lots of eating.  If you visit Albuquerque you must go to El Pinto.  It's been around since 1962 and it was delicious!  I highly recommend making a reservation on Open Table instead of just showing up like we did.

Every night during the Fiesta if the winds aren't too high they have a balloon glow.  

They don't launch, they just inflate and at times they synchronize the burners.

It's quite spectacular to see these monsters all lit up at night.

They cap off the evening with sky divers and fireworks.  Then the mass crowds make their way back to the shuttle buses.  We, on the other hand, just walked back to our RV.

I literally took hundreds of pictures of balloons, but none of them even come close to the beauty of the event.

By the last morning we had lost our neighbors on either side.

I think our RV looks amazing with these balloons overhead.  Some of the pilots came really close to the roofs of some of the RVs, but they never collided.  Being there in an RV was truly a unique experience.

Mark your calendar for October 3-11, 2020 and if you want a campsite you better go ahead and reserve it now.

Happy Skywatch Friday!