We have had a stretch of warm, sunny days that, according to the weather forecast, is going to be coming to an end in the next day or so. To take advantage of the nice weather today we took a hike in the Manzano Mountains, about 50 miles southeast of Albuquerque. It was perfect weather for hiking and the fall colors added to the beauty of the views.
One of the unique, exciting activities that we look forward to here in Albuquerque is the 9-day annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. There are activities day and night during the fiesta, and we couldn’t possibly attend all of them. But my favorite is to be on the launch field in the morning as the hundreds of balloons begin inflating and start the process of launching, while first light is just beginning to break over the Sandia Mountains.
Weather conditions aren’t always favorable and we have experienced the disappointment of seeing them inflate, but then not launch because of high winds in the upper air. This year, though, I was not disappointed. Both days that I was on the field, the weather was perfect and the 500+ balloons drifted upwards and filled the skies above.
Thursday when I was there it was a Special Shapes Rodeo, which is an opportunity to see some quite imaginative shapes and unbelievably large balloons.
On Saturday, the semi-cloudy weather from earlier in the week had cleared out and our gorgeous New Mexico blue skies formed the backdrop for the launch.
Today is the last day of the festival, but there’s always next year to look forward to when they will be back again!
Living Wonderously 