Final balloon photos

Even more balloon pictures

More balloon pictures

Balloon Fest One

On Friday, after the breakfast, we drove to ABQ. Got gas, went grocery shopping, and picked up a prescription at Wal-Mart. About 2:00 we went to the Balloon Fest. There are 30 LD’s here. There are more RV’s here then we have ever seen in one place. There must be a thousand at least. According to the newspaper, over one million people will attend at least one day of the Fest. It’s the largest collection of balloons in the world. There are 632 registered balloons.
On Friday there was a pot luck dinner. We made brownies. The only desert and a real hit. On Saturday morning, the first mass ascension took place at 7am. I was up by 6am. Carol watched the balloons out the back window while propped up in bed.  Quite a sight. Later in the morning we walked down to the launch field. The evening “glow” was cancelled because of rain & wind. If it’s too windy it’s not safe for the balloons. A “glow” is when a balloon is tethered to the ground but ignites the propane burner. The balloon glows in the dark. At 8:00 pm, there was a great fireworks show. We watched it out of our back window. Had a wonderful, unobstructed view. The insulated windows blocked out enough of the sound so Gopher wasn’t frightened as she is when she hears very loud noises.

Sunday: Rained almost all night. The field where the RV’s are parked is dirt. It’s an absolute quagmire in places. Our immediate area is OK. Mushy, but we can walk around. Other areas are impassable. A tow truck has been here most of the day pulling RV’s out of the mud. A friend let us borrow there car so we could go in town and do laundry. At 5:00 we had a pot luck supper in front of our parking space because it was one of the few dry places around. We walked down to the Glow around 6:00. There are dozens of food vendors, places selling souvenirs, and everything else you can imagine. There was a Spam booth giving away samples. We passed on that. Carol bought herself two long sleeve shirts. Watched the evening fireworks from the comfort of the camper. What an enjoyable time we both had.

Monday: The morning Mass Ascension was limited because of the wind. We went to the Balloon Museum then out to dinner with friends.

Southwest Lazy Daze Campout

September 29 through October 3

Drove to Mountainair for the Southwest Lazy Daze campout.
On the way, we stopped at the Gran Quivira, the largest of the Salinas pueblos. It was an important trade center for many years before and after, the arrival of the Spanish.
Picked up our mail at the post office. Had lunch at the Ancient Ways Restaurant. The campground is the Manzano Mountain SP. Our friends Don & Carol Ashley are here. Carol Ashley taught Carol how to play Mexican Train. They also took us to the Caravan Club Campout at La Paz, AZ last year. Two wonderful people. There were 12 LD’s here. Some of the people we knew; some are new friends. Had a pot luck dinner, a social hour each night then a pot luck breakfast on the last day. As always, we had a wonderful time. One couple from Scottsdale, AZ invited us to their house for Thanksgiving. We’ll see.