I have been so busy lately that I failed to say anything about the Albuquerque Balloon Festival. This is held every year in Albuquerque about this time. Some time ago it was discovered that, about this time of year the weather conditions in Albuquerque, combined with the terrain are perfect for balloons. The conditions are described by some as the "chimney". The short story is that, very reliably, the balloons can take off in the morning from Albuquerque, with the wind causing them drift away (if I have this right) from the mountains, and later in the day drift back to where they started from.
People love the festival, even when balloons end up in their yard, etc. Each balloon has it's own "balloon chase vehicle". These are often wonderfully decorated, and add to the fun. Our granddaughter loved theballoons, and was invited to sit in the baskets whenever we found one touching down. We graciously declined invitations for rides. I think Ellie's favorite part was when the would pull the lever so flame would loudly blast out of the heater at the top of the basket to heat the air in the balloon. It must have seemed like a dragon to her.
The picture below is to give an idea of how many balloons come to the festival from around the world. I would guess there are about 1,000 balloon altogether. To the right is a balloon that got so high that he blocked the brightest part of the son for a while. My daughter called that a "balloon eclipse".
People love the festival, even when balloons end up in their yard, etc. Each balloon has it's own "balloon chase vehicle". These are often wonderfully decorated, and add to the fun. Our granddaughter loved theballoons, and was invited to sit in the baskets whenever we found one touching down. We graciously declined invitations for rides. I think Ellie's favorite part was when the would pull the lever so flame would loudly blast out of the heater at the top of the basket to heat the air in the balloon. It must have seemed like a dragon to her.
The picture below is to give an idea of how many balloons come to the festival from around the world. I would guess there are about 1,000 balloon altogether. To the right is a balloon that got so high that he blocked the brightest part of the son for a while. My daughter called that a "balloon eclipse".