Our 2017 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

After a 9 day stay in Santa Fe, we packed up and headed to one of our favorite events - the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Meeting up with old friends Dave & Kathy Scranton and crewing on the same balloon again- Laughy Taffy- is something we both look forward to. As well as meeting up with and working with Balloon owners Steve & Donna Sheer from Castle Rock, CO. Initial destination was one we have utilized before to stock up and fill up before our 12 night boondocking adventure- Enchanted Trails RV Park. It was also an opportunity to meet up with fellow Escapees/Boomers.....most we would see again in Balloon Fiesta Park.

Balloon Fiesta Park

On Oct 4, we again packed up and headed in to Balloon Fiesta Park for almost 2 weeks of dry camping(no water or electricity or sewer). While this may sound like a real inconvenience, our Mobile Suites Trailer is equipped with a 100 gal fresh water tank, a 75 gal gray water tank, and a 50 gal black water tank. Frugal use and a mid-week pump out got us through the week. Also helping out was a 2000 watt Yamaha generator(for use at night, after the sun went down) and a 160 watt Zamp portable solar panel(for use while the sun was out). Our residential refrigerator in combo with our 1000 watt inverter ran without problem. We watched TV every night. So it wasn't so bad.....

We were some of the first to arrive. Solar panels got an early workout.....

We got a pleasant surprise that first afternoon there.........

Notice how the place is starting to fill up........by the end of the next day there would be in excess of 1200 units in the park

While in the park, we experienced some really beautiful New Mexico sunsets.....

Boomers

The Boomers are a group within the Escapees RV Group that likes to get together and do things together. One of those things is the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. They have been doing it so long that a specific section of Balloon Fiesta Park is known as the Boomers section, with 50 spots allocated to us. Our hosts this year were Gail & Jim McManus, and what a great job they did! We all camp together and the common thread is volunteering as crew for the many balloons that come to the fiesta. With many of the balloonists coming from away, having crew available to them is invaluable - with no crew, the balloon doesn't go up. The Boomers pride themselves on providing educated, responsible, reliable crew members to the pilots that request them. And many of us found ourselves rewarded with balloon flights. More on this later.

Daily Boomers Happy Hour where the days events were reviewed, crew requests were discussed and assigned

There were a number of things that we did as a group.....

The CARE Auction

Kathy's Money Making CARE Auction Wine Bar

The CARE Auction is a regular event for the Boomers at the Balloon Fiesta. Everybody contributes items to be auctioned off, with all the proceeds going to CARE(Continued Assistance for Retired Escapees). This year, although the rig and people count was down some, the effort did raise $1030.00 for CARE. Great job by all, especially Jim and Gail.

Other Boomer events included a potluck supper, and an afternoon trip to a local brewery, in this case, The Boxing Bear Brewery. This was a well attended event, which proves that Boomers not only like wine, but beer as well.

The Boomers at Boxing Bear doing what they do best- visiting and drinking beer.

There was also a trip to a Winery, which was also well attended. The Winery was St Clair's Winery & Bistro. While Mary and I did not go on this trip, the comments were so positive about the place that we scheduled a visit with friends Jim & Kathy later on in the week.....

Great food, great wine, with  good friends

One of the nice things about these events is the people that you meet and one we met and won't soon forget was our neighbor Norman. It was the second day of the event and when I got back to our trailer, there was Norman - almost waiting for me. And he had the biggest grin on his face which told me one thing: he had an experience this morning. So I said to Norman - you look like you had a balloon ride today! And he replied YES! The grin and the expression I had to capture.....

Norman is a Texan, in case you couldn't tell. 

The story I got from his good friend Bob(and another one of our neighbors) was that Norman had spent his career working for NASA and specifically the Space Shuttle and had never done anything like this(Balloons). So Norman's Balloon Ride was something Special.  We later found out that when he got back home to Texas, he celebrated his 80th birthday. Way to go Norman!

Oh, and did I mention that we had good seats right in our trailer for the almost nightly Fireworks display....

Balloon Fiesta

Albuquerque is all about the Balloon Fiesta. It is an event that draws balloons and pilots from all over the world, in addition to the million or so spectators that come to Albuquerque to view this spectacle. Each day will begin with Morning Glow and then the Dawn Patrol.....

This was the evening glow 

The Dawn Patrol generally went up around 6:30 each morning. Their job was to test the winds. Officials followed their movements to determine wind conditions at various elevations.

If everything was good, then balloonists started preparing for the Mass Ascension. 550 balloons. To describe this event in words would be entirely lacking. You really have to see it to believe it.....

Balloons generally launched South to North, by rows. Here you can see one row inflating for launch, the row to the north of them has been given the ok to begin prep to launch. First step is to lay out the balloon.

After inflating balloon while horizontal and on the ground with a fan, propane burners heat the air and balloons go vertical

A view from our launch site

This view from the air will give you an idea of the crowds that come to the fiesta.

550 balloons at Mass Ascension

A view of the mass ascension from the ground

Truly an incredible site......and again, one, you have to be there to believe it.

And then there are the Special Shapes. These balloons are unbelievable. Not only for their incredible size, but the detail and worksmanship that has gone in to configuring these 8-10 story monsters....

This is Kermie the Frog. I worked as crew on this balloon 2 years ago. What a job inflating and deflating! Owners/Pilot of this balloon are out of Montreal area.

This balloon, Cosmos, inflated and launched right behind our launch area. I cannot begin to tell you how BIG this balloon is...

HUGE

These 2 balloons are the crowd favorites. They come to us from Belgium.

The Pest on the side of this balloon would just barely fit in to your garage.

Always a big crowd around these 2 balloons. Crew dressed up as Storm Troopers keep things under control.

Laughy Taffy

This is our balloon. The one that Mary and I and David and Kathy Scranton have crewed on these past 2 years. The balloon is an Aerostar RX8 and has a Volume of 90,000 cu ft. Steve Sheer is the pilot and his wife Donna is the Crew Chief. What a pleasure it has been to be part of this team these past 2 years.

Kermie is rather large........

We launched from site S3 most days and most days of the event we actually flew. Scratched one day because of high winds and another because of technical difficulties(last day for us - a tear in the balloon fabric ended our launch effort). All of us, except Mary, got to go up at least twice.  And now for the best part......


The Crew

Having worked together for the past 2 years, it was really rewarding at how much we all had progressed as crew. Everyone knew exactly what to do in getting the balloon prepared for launch. Of course, Donna was in charge and assigned each of us our jobs. Mary was in charge of getting all crew to sign Fiesta required waivers each day. When it came time for inflation, Kathy operated the fan that inflated the balloon, Dave and I were positioned at the throat of the envelope holding it open so that it could inflate properly, Donna was at the crown, Mary gathered up the storage bags from the crown and returned them to the trailer and then made sure that all kids looking for balloon cards got one, in addition to keeping people back and looking out for our "stuff" at the trailer. The following pics provide a visual image of the process.....

Early morning at our site. Sid, Steve & Donna's son, assisted on the weekends.

Basket, envelope, and fan all in ready position for inflation

While not "officially" part of the crew, the Zebras signed as crew on the official banner.

Stretched out and ready for inspection

All days began at 5:15 or so at the Sid Cutter Pilots pavillion for breakfast. Second day there Mary and I had "breakfast" with balloon pilot from Moscow, Russia and his crew chief who was interpreter.

1/2 of the 4 member volunteer crew

The other 1/2 - Dave & Kathy

The crew getting ready.....

Pic says it all......

We saluted this family for helping us at landing off 2nd Street in Albuquerque. Balloon landed in a fenced in field, which we didn't know, contained a Bull. We managed to get a line out from the basket, inflate balloon enough so that it could be walked out of the field and then hopped over the fence to the road where we deflated. 

Chase Crew

Once the balloon was launched, then it was time to go get it. Not quite as easy as it sounds. Some of the landing areas were pretty unbelievable(note: field with bull).

This road in Rio Rancho housing development was a popular landing area on this particular day.

Envelope deflated, compressed, and ready for packing

This was a tough landing area for the chase crew to get to. Just missed landing on the Sandia Indian Reservation, which would have been a problem. Once we got there, everything proceeded as it should

Packing the balloon tight. Requires the sitting exercise

Look at all the balloons still in the air!

This is not the correct way to get in the basket.....

The After Flight Party

Each launch was preceded by a member of the crew telling a joke. The best Joke of the week went to Jay. Why are Eggs Benedict served in a hub cap?  Because there is no plate like chrome for the Hollandaise.

After each successful flight, there is a party. And Champagne. And whatever else.....

This landing area was east of the launch field and close(but not on) the Sandia Indian Reservation. The view was so good that we decided that this was as good a place as any for our post flight party.

One tired crew.......

Flights

And then there were the flights.....we all got to go up.

Donna and Kayla got to go on the very 1st flight

All almost ready......

On their way.......

Chase Crew view

Every one was an adventure......

Perhaps the most rewarding and spectacular flight was the day Steve went to Mary and said You are going today. Up until then, she had always declined. Not today. And then he pointed to me and said - you too!

She is not happy, can you tell?

Ready for launch, just waiting for the thumbs up from the Zebra

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We are on our way!

I really think that our flight was one of the best of the week. We were in the air for almost 1.5 hours. The flight took us to Rio Rancho, northwest of the City of Albuquerque and almost to Bernalillo. The sky was crystal clear and the views and pics we got were unbelievable....

Launch field from the air. Wow!

Look at this place!!!!!

Look at the view. Look at the balloons.

A view of the school where Kayla(Steve & Donna's daughter in law) teaches......

After the flight, Mary had to participate in the official ceremony celebrating her first flight(I got to do this last year, so it was only fair)

Steve was Master of Ceremony

This ceremony is a tradition. Note the Champagne ready for the celebration......

Ceremony requires the person to drink from the glass on the ground without spilling any.

This is how it is done! Note: Donna "baptizing" her as she drinks.

When the ceremony is over, the new inductee in to the club receives a Certificate of Achievement....

Hard to believe that we spent 12 days in Balloon Fiesta Park and then it was time to leave. Sunday was the last day of the event, however, because of high winds, all flights were cancelled. On Monday morning, the day we were scheduled to leave, the Commercial Balloon Flights were up in numbers. They sell rides. And there are no refunds. So, fly it was on Monday.

We headed out of Balloon Fiesta Park and traveled back to Enchanted Trails RV Park just west of the city for 2 days of unwinding, emptying tanks, and restocking. And then it was off to Monument Valley and another check mark on our Bucket List of things to do and see.