International Balloon Fiesta

We saw that the International Balloon Fiesta was coming into Albuquerque a week or so ago and we were pretty ambivalent about attending. We checked a few campgrounds and heard that everything was completely booked, and there were high prices for anything else that was left. We decided we would move through the area without the hassle of dealing with 100,000 people showing up for this event and continue on our slow way south. We looked for overnight parking spots on line with our camping app and found a casino north of town. They are usually good for free overnight parking if we are just moving through an area. Turns out this one was spectacular. And a lot of other folks knew about it too.

 There must have been 300 rigs parked in the several different lots of this huge resort/hotel/casino/golf course complex. Most of them were monster rigs ($$$$$) that dwarfed our tiny little van.

We found a great spot on the end and settled in for a night. Our plan to move on in the morning quickly changed as we found out that we were right above the launch area for the balloons and that they would be coming right over us. So we got up early and watched as over 300 hot air balloons were launched just after dawn and floated in the sky around us. Not only were we underneath them, but it turns out they landed several of them in the field behind us, on the golf course, and one even went down in front of the hotel entrance. 

Steve had the opportunity to get close to one that landed and get a photo of the basket and set up. We looked at taking a ride, at least for Steve. It cost $345. for 1 hour by appointment in one of the commercial balloons, not a part of the fiesta. I personally would not go up even if it was free, but at $345, it was not worth it to Steve.

But the fancy hotel was just great to us. They considered us 'guests' even though we were really freeloaders in the parking lot and they allowed us to get their special shuttle service to the evening lighting up of the balloons event. No parking ($10), no getting lost at night, no dealing with the traffic nightmare of closed roads and police directing you onto detours, a GPS disaster. (Poor Loretta already struggles with us). All for $10/each round trip. So were were able to wander the launch grounds as the balloons were being inflated and set up for a lighting 'burn'. Fascinating to be able to walk around so close to them and talk with the pilots and crew and see firsthand how this works. So many great designs and colors and then of course the food booths and live music and a great fireworks show at the
end. So glad we went. Another one of those
opportunities that you don't see coming but need to grab.
Got a little cold last night so we are continuing south. Steve spotted a campground on the map called Valley of Fire and we are intrigued.