Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

This morning we managed to get ourselves out of bed at what we thought was 4:30 AM but was actually 5:30 AM. The time change and a electrical outage got us messed up. However, it ended up to work out well. We managed an extra hour of sleep and when we arrived at the Unser Crossing Parking Lot we were able to get right on a bus to head for the Fiesta. We have to say that Albuquerque does a wonderful job of getting people to and from the Fiesta. If you ever are trying to decide whether to drive yourselves or take the shuttle, take the shuttle. It is really the fastest and most convenient way to get there.

We did skip breakfast which helped get us there early because we knew they would have food there. There were lots of things to choose from but we decided to have a Chick-Fil-A Breakfast Chicken Biscuit and some hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was really wonderful as the temperature was in the low 40's. We both tried to dress warmly but our feet got pretty darn cold by the time we left the morning session. Lee forgot gloves and so his hands were really cold too. Mary brought nice warm mittens but we were both taking tons of pictures and you can't do that with mittens! Mary's left hand stayed warm!

By the time we arrived most of the balloons were standing up and we walked around among them until they started the mass ascension at 7:00 AM. This morning the schedule said it was the Special Shape Rodeo and the Special Shapes did go up first but in reality it was another mass ascension as almost all the balloons went up. Since there are over 500 balloons the ascension took over two hours! 

This year the Balloon Fiesta was titled "Enchanted Sunrise" and we can't think of a better description. We were just in awe. 

These balloons are REALLY HUGE!

After the mass ascension, we headed over to see the Albuquerque International Balloon Museum.
 

Experiencing this event is more than pictures can convey!

The Albuquerque Police on Patrol