Balloon Fiesta - Part 1

 I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so as a child, an event that I attended often was the International Balloon Fiesta. This incredible event holds many great memories for me, so I knew it was something I wanted my kids to experience someday too. This fall, our family finally took the opportunity to visit ABQ and attend the Fiesta, along with my parents and my sister and her family.

The weather turned out to be a bit uncooperative that weekend, unfortunately. Not all the balloon events that we wanted to see took place due to rain or high winds (more about that in my second post). Thankfully, we attended one morning Special Shape Rodeo that turned out to be just perfect! As usual for this event, we arrived at the balloon field at a crazy, early time (sometime around 4:30am!).

Aunt Kim had brought along some glow sticks that the kids enjoyed twisting into special creations.

Because nothing was happening on the balloon field quite yet, we spent some time at this PNC Balloon Bank Discovery Center. Stepping inside of an actual gondola was the most interesting part.

Adley enjoyed making a couple crafts inside this building-- a paper hot air balloon and a balloon hair bow.

As Adley was crafting, the boy cousins played football in open areas on the balloon field. Finally, however, we started to see some action! These 7 balloons inflated first as part of the Dawn Patrol. They took off to test out the weather and wind patterns.

Seeing the balloons light up in the early dawn felt like we were at a nighttime Balloon Glow event. It was so pretty!

Once the Dawn Patrol gave the green light, the field became full of other balloon crews setting up. Here are some basic steps of what the balloon crews do: 

✔ First, unload the basket from the truck. 

✔ Lay it on its side.

✔ Unroll the balloon envelope.

✔ Stretch the balloon out flat across the field in front of the basket.

✔ Use high-powered fans to inflate the balloon while two crew members hold open the "mouth" of the balloon.

✔ Watch as the balloon gets bigger and bigger!

At this point of the process, one of the balloon crew members noticed Ryan's Oklahoma sweatshirt. Apparently, she was a BIG fan, so she gave Ryan some special privileges. Not wanting to leave out the rest of the family, the lady invited all the kids in our family to stand inside the balloon (a fun perk usually reserved just for paying passengers). So cool!

 

✔ Use a propane burner to heat up the air in the balloon.

✔ Stand the balloon upright.

✔ Liftoff!!

We pointed out these special workers--called zebras--to the kids. Zebras act like referees, running around the balloon field, blowing their whistles, and giving balloon crews permission to lift off. They always dress in black and white stripes to make themselves very noticeable. Many zebras even have stuffed zebras attached to their clothing.

We spent part of the morning walking all around the balloon field, getting as close to the balloons as possible. Once everyone got tired of walking, we found a spot and just watched the balloons lift off around us.

A special perk for kids when attending a Balloon Fiesta is collecting trading cards for each balloon. Each balloon crew has one member who hands out cards to anyone who asks. At first, the kids were a little nervous about approaching the crew members but soon developed more confidence. In the end, they each collected about 20 cards.

Cody and Adley enjoyed finding some of their "trading card balloons" in the sky after they took off.

At this morning ascension, we were privileged to see hundreds of balloons take off. The weather was just perfect! Albuquerque is a popular site for balloonists because of its special "box effect," the way the wind patterns can take balloons up and eventually back to almost the same starting point. The box effect was in full force that day, meaning that we were literally surrounded by balloons the whole morning!

Watching the balloons beside you, in front of you, behind you, and above you (all at the same time!) is such an incredible experience! I took so many photos and struggled to narrow them down. Here are some of my many favorites.

 

Attending the balloon fiesta again was very nostalgic for me, but it was even more exciting watching the event through the eyes of my kiddos. They all seemed to love it and especially enjoyed spotting all the special shapes. What a cool event to attend with family!

God sure gave us a beautiful day and blessed us with this fantastic experience!