Monday, October 12, 2009

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2009

This was our fifth consecutive trip to the Fiesta. Too much wind the first few days caused some events to be canceled but there was only a little rain. We had fewer balloons this year, probably because of the economic recession, but still more than 500. Overall it turned out good.

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There was a mass ascension shortly after sunrise most mornings of the nine day event. When the wind was from the north They flew over our RV site two miles south of the launch field. Free shuttle buses provided transportation there and back. Take a look at the preceding blog entry for an aerial view of the area.

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Balloons sometime land in an open field adjacent to the RV park.

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At the launch field spectators are able to wander among the balloons as they are being inflated and launched. It is quite a spectacle.

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One morning I volunteered to crew for the Head balloon team. This is the Head ballo0on manufacturing company out of Helen Georgia, not the ski manufacturer. You can buy one of their balloons for around $25,000 dollars. Add another $40,000 for a truck and trailer to haul it around.

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I didn't get to ride this time but went with the ground crew to recover it after it landed in a small park a few miles from the field, much to the delight of a local mom and her kids.

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The APD has a mounted squad with some very fine horses to help with crowd control.

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On days that the wind is out of the south the balloons often land in Corrales or Rio Ranch, about 10 miles from the field. The area is heavily developed but pilots are good at finding open spaces to set down. Their crews follow on the ground to pick them up and there is usually a lot of volunteer help from local residents and from people like us that go looking for them.

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This is where accidents happen as balloons get blown into buildings or tip over after a hard landing when the wind gets too strong. There were several serious injury accidents in this area last year but fortunately none this year.

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Ever since we started coming to the Fiesta I have been looking for one of several places along the Rio Grande River where the balloons sometime do a "splash and dash", dipping their baskets in the water. Most are inaccessible because they are surrounded by private property but this year I found one in the Corrales area. Several balloons flew over but none dipped. Maybe next year.


1 Comments:

Blogger elrolo72 said...

Hey Joani and Dave,
`How is it going?

Great pictures there of the lovely ballons, we had a fantastic time and we really enjoyed it. thanks so much and it was great to meet you guys and thaks for your kind and great hospitality!!
All the best and hope to meet you again when we back..

Jo, Eddie & Maia. From London UK "Jo & Valerie's friends"

2:57 PM  

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