10-8 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

The alarm went off at 3:45 am, didn’t I just get to sleep? Larry and I got out of bed at 4 and Flo was still sleepy she didn’t even try to roll off the couch. We got dressed and then put things down so we could go to the Balloon Park which was just down the street from Sandia Resort and Casino. Once we were ready Flo crawled off the couch and went to her favorite place for traveling, which is right between Larry and I on the motor housing cover. When we got there people were directing traffic in the parking lot, we were surprised because the guy yesterday said no one would be there. Once we were parked we went back to bed. There wasn’t anything going on until 6. There were a couple of refrigerated trucks that kept going on and off so it was very hard to get back to sleep. We woke up at 6 and had breakfast. Then I took Flo for her morning walk. When we got back Larry and I went to the festival. It was still dark and overcast but there were five balloons already in sky for the Dawn Patrol. It was cool seeing the flames in the balloons which made them glow. There was a ton of people already on the grounds, it was almost scary. At 7 the Special Shape Rodeo began, that’s why all the people were there. We found out today the kids got in free. We walked around for a couple of hours watching the hundreds of shaped balloons get inflated and take off. When the balloons started to lift off the crowd spread out so it wasn’t that bad. It was amazing just being among all the balloons. An elephant balloon started off the Special Shape Rodeo. We saw so many shapes I won’t mention them all but some of them were a clock, Little Old Lady that Lives in a Shoe, Shamu, Uncle Sam, Smokey Bear, Owl, Mardi Gras and many more. After watching the balloons we walked through a few booths selling souvenirs and jewelry. We walked by the chain saw completion area, there were so many people it was too hard to see. We watched a few ultra lights flying around. As we were leaving the grounds we bought a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  We left about 10:30, there were a lot of police officers out directing traffic so it was easy to get out of the parking lot. The only problem with traffic was getting on the interstate. We had a spectacular time at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Airing up the balloons

Wise Old Owl and Cat balloons

Uncle Sam, Hound Dog, Smokey Bear and many other

Smokey Bear, Mardi Gras and Giraffe balloons

Airing Up a Big Hot Air Balloon

Hundreds of Balloons

After leaving The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta we drove for 75 miles to Manzano Mountains State Park. We had to drive down a two mile rough dirt road to get to the park but once we were there it was worth it. The park is beautiful with a lot of trees, it’s well maintain and the host is very friendly and helpful. The sites are very roomy, they have a fire ring and some of them have a covered picnic table. We’re going to hang out here a couple of nights. Once we setup the Minnie we took Flo for a walk and then we took a nap. For dinner I heated up leftover Cowboy burgers. We had a great day.

Camping at Manzano Mountains State Park