Thursday, October 11
We packed up and drove to Albuquerque, leaving a little before 9 am. It was an uneventful drive. We stopped for an early lunch at Cracker Barrel in Pueblo, CO, and arrived at the motel about 5 pm.
Before checking in, we made a minor detour to see where we'd be catching the shuttle bus tomorrow. It's an easy drive from the hotel and very well marked. It looked like the process was running smoothly.
Then we walked across the street for dinner at another Cracker Barrel before calling it an early night. Tomorrow will start very early....
Friday, October 12
We got up a little after 4 am. I made oatmeal in the room's microwave and Carl went downstairs to grab one of the breakfast burritos the hotel was providing at that hour.
A little after 5, we headed to the shuttle bus parking lot, where we boarded one of the school buses, and had a short ride to the Balloon Fiesta grounds. The whole ride was only about 15 minutes - much shorter than the cars we saw waiting to get into the parking lots. We'd overhear stories of people waiting in traffic for 1.5 to 2 hours before finally reaching the grounds! The shuttle was definitely worth the price. And wound up costing less for two senior riders (which included admission) than the parking plus admissions.
We spent the morning wandering the Balloon Field. People were encouraged to walk all over the field, as long as they didn't interfere with the balloon launching process.
The first event of the day was the Dawn Patrol - six hot air balloons that launched shortly before dawn. They have special lighting systems that allow them to legally launch in the dark. Other balloonists will watch their flights to get an idea of the air currents.
The photo on the left shows one of the Dawn Patrol balloons getting ready for liftoff (with a man's head silhouetted against the flame). The photo on the right shows the same balloon shortly ofter it lifted off.
Soon, the field gets pretty busy as multiple balloons spread out on the grass and begin inflating. Before long, the skies are filled with masses of balloons.
The photo on the left above shows a row of balloons starting to inflate in the early morning light. The center photo shows more of the inflation process, with some of the balloons beginning to stand up. The photo on the right is taken over the top of several of the balloons as they start to come vertical.
The photo on the left shows how close together these big balloons are placed when inflating. The Rainbow Ryder balloons were taking passengers for a ride each morning, so there were several of them. The center photo shows one of the support crew pulling on a safety rope. These ropes are attached to the top of the balloon as it inflates and keeps the envelop from moving vertically too rapidly and unexpectedly. If it rises in an unpredictable fashion, the huge flames which heat the air would ignite the balloon wall and cause a lot of damage. The photo on the right shows a group of balloons which have already launched rising high above other balloons which are still inflating.
The photo on the left shows two balloons launching - one of which is themed to Colorado and incorporates the state flag. The center photo is the inside of an inflating balloon. If you look closely, you can see shadows of people helping assemble the top of the balloon. The photo on the right shows the same inflating balloon with many others already in the sky behind it.
The day we were there was a "Special Shapes" day, so there were more of the oddly shaped balloons than usual and fewer regular balloons than usual.
Some of the special shapes were so massive that they didn't actually launch - they just inflated and stayed tethered to the ground.
The photo on the left shows the Creamland Dairy's giant cow balloon with the Sandia Mountains in the background. This is one of the balloons that stayed tethered to the ground. It's too unwieldly to actually fly. The center photo shows a giant green boot preparing for launch, with many other balloons in the sky beyond, including an emoji one... The photo on the right shows a touristy penguin rising above some of the other shaped balloons.
The photo on the left is another view of the touristy penguin with other balloons behind him. The center photo shows some of the regularly shaped balloons, including this really colorful one, launching along with the shaped balloons, like the pink pig to the right of the ornate one. The photo on the right shows one of the balloons passing directly overhead.
The photo on the left above shows Darth Vader and Yoda launching. Near their launch site was a group of people in Star Wars costumes. We didn't see them until they were parading back away from the site, so no photos of whatever they were doing. The center photo shows Darth Vader and Yoda floating overhead with Ironman in the background. This angle makes it look like Yoda is really angry at Darth Vader.. The photo on the right shows sunlight streaming through one of the balloons as it floats overhead.
The photo on the left shows a really large scarecrow lady launching. The center photo shows a scene including desert mesas, a setting sun, and palm trees. The photo on the right shows an underwater scene featuring a very large blue and yellow octopus, some dolphins, and some large fish.
The photo on the left shows Humpty Dumpty falling off his wall with the underwater balloon behind him. The center photo features a large, well dressed dog. Also seen here is a very large owl. The photo on the right shows the head of Vincent van Gogh. Someone later asked me if it included both ears. Well, truthfully, this is the only side of this balloon I ever saw, so I couldn't say...
More of the specialty shaped balloons. The first photo shows a balloon covered with balloons. The second photo shows a dapper fish (with a large blue dog behind him. The third photo shows an astronaut being inflated. He never did make it off the ground. I think his suit developed a leak and he had to scrub his mission... The fourth photo shows a happy witch riding her broomstick.
The photo on the left shows Tom and Jerry from the old cartoons. The center photo has several shaped balloons in it, including one covered in colorful flip-flops. Also seen here are a large green frog, Tom and Jerry, a bread company's mascot, and, in the air above, the large blue dog. The photo on the right shows the Wells Fargo stage coach, another large balloon that stayed tethered. Both Creamland Dairies and Wells Fargo were among the sponsors of this event.
The photo on the left shows me with some of the shaped balloons and a small sample of the crowds there this day. The center photo shows a pirate balloon which stayed tethered. And the photo on the right shows a large beagle, which also stayed tethered, with a sassy red cat.
The photo on the left shows a heart shaped balloon making a heart symbol with its "hands". The second photo shows a cool, hip, flying pink pig with sunlight coming through him. The third photo shows a pirate's peg-legged parrot! The photo on the right has the head of a British bobby.
We noticed that some of the balloons that hadn't launched were starting to deflate, exposing a cleared portion of the field that was roped off. Some of the balloons were using this area to make a controlled landing - one of the Fiesta events, I assume. The balloons would like up and land one after the other. Their crews would run up to the basket and walk the balloon off the field to a place it could be deflated in a controlled setting. Most of these balloons were shaped a bit differently from what one thinks of as a regular hot air balloon - more elongated.
The photo on the left shows some of the balloons coming in for a controlled landing. Four of these were lined up perfectly for the pattern. The balloon on the left was just a few feet from touching down. The center photo shows a group of balloons approaching the landing area. The photo on the right shows more balloons coming into this area and some of the crowd watching them.
Once all the balloons that were going to launch were airborn, we headed back to the shuttle area and caught the bus back to the parking lot. On the drive back, we saw some of the chase crews that had caught up with their balloons and were deflating and packing them back up again. Those balloons landed all over the place!
We went back to the motel to drop off cameras and a couple of layers of clothing and discovered that the maid had thrown out my net sponge, thinking it was trash!!! So, we drove back up the street to Walgreens to get a replacement...
Then back to the hotel where we walked back across the street to the Cracker Barrel for lunch, which was very crowded. As one of the restaurants near the Balloon Field, it was full of people that had the same idea we did...
Then back to the hotel again for a restful afternoon.
We drove back up the street again, this time to Albertsons to pick up some snacks for "dinner".
Soon it was time to drive back to the shuttle parking lot for the evening session. We quickly boarded the bus and were back to the Balloon Grounds well before the evening activities began. We found a nice patch of grass and ate our snacks before having to move as they were starting to roll out the balloons for the evening and one of them was setting up right where we were sitting.
Tonight is the "Special Shapes Glow", where they inflate the specialty balloons and keep them tethered, just shooting the gas flame into the balloon, making it glow. It was a fun sight! Several times during the evening, the announcer would start a short countdown, at the end of which, most of the balloonists would light up their balloons simultaneously! Quite a sight.
The photo on the left shows the initial stages of inflating the lion balloon. They start with a large fan blowing air into the space. Once it's partially inflated, they crank up the flame, which fills the balloon the rest of the way, enabling it to rise vertically. The center photo shows the flame inflating the lion balloon. The photo on the right shows an almost completely inflated zebra balloon. He was right over my head and this was my view!
While the balloons were inflating and before the "Glow" actually began, we were treated to a nice sunset. The photo on the left shows the Tom balloon and a couple of others silhouetted against the sunset. The center photo has Tom silhouetted against the sunset. And the photo on the right zeroed in on just the sunset.
The photo on the left shows a very lit up scarecrow lady. Also in the photo are Humpty Dumpty, the Flip-Flop balloon, and one in the shape of Christ of the Andes. The center photo shows the cool, flying pink pig and some of the crowd. The photo on the right shows several glowing balloons and the distant moon. Included here are the POW-MIA balloon, the robber and cop balloons, a pink elephant princess, the dapper fish, and the bakery mascot.
The photo on the left shows several of the balloons glowing with the moon in the background. The dominant balloon in this photo is the pink elephant princess.
The photo on the right shows one of the balloons with its flame glowing.
After about an hour of glow activity, the balloons started deflating again. Once they were packed away, a fireworks show started. We skipped that, heading back to the bus boarding area.
We were in bed by 9....
Saturday, October 13
We slept in a bit this morning - yesterday was a long day. We had a quick breakfast at the hotel before packing up again.
We headed home, leaving the hotel about 8:30. As we drove north, we could see several hot air balloons keeping pace with us. The winds were driving them north rather than the usual south and east. It looks like some of them may have landed in the Rio Grande River!
Lunch was at Arby's in Raton, NM, and we were home a little before 5.
After unloading, Carl hurried downstairs to shut off and drain the supply pipe for the watering system. Temperatures were predicted to stay below freezing for the next 48 hours and we didn't want any broken pipes....
Sunday, October 14
It snowed all day today, so we stayed home and goofed off! We had planned to drive north to Billings today to help Kelly move back to Colorado. However, large portions of I-25 north (including most of Wyoming) were closed due to the snow and ice....
Monday, October 15
We woke to clear blue skies and open roads, so we packed up again and got on the road a little after 8 am.
Lunch was at Arby's in Casper, WY. It was a very uneventful drive north. We got to Billings a little before 6 and checked into our hotel there.
There's a stock show going on across the street here and most of the people staying at the hotel are participating.... I'm sure glad we had reservations....
Kelly and Levi picked us up for dinner. We went to the Montana Brewery to eat, then back to the hotel to crash for the night.
Tuesday, October 16
After an early breakfast at the hotel, we drove to Kelly's apartment. It's pack the truck day... Carl and I dropped off her internet modem, then Carl and Kelly went off to pick up the U-Haul while Levi and I kept on packing boxes....
By noon, the truck was partially loaded and we took a break for lunch at Juliano's. It's still a delicious place to eat.
Then back to loading the truck, packing boxes, cleaning, and cleaning and cleaning.
There was a break for dinner at Mackensie Grill, then a final set of loading and cleaning. The only things left to load are what goes into the cars (including the cats), so we called it a night.
Wednesday, October 17
We had another early breakfast at the hotel before checking out.
The rest of the stuff got loaded into the cars (including the cats). Then a final vacuum of the place before the vacuum cleaner went onto the U-Haul and we started south.
We caravaned back to Westminster - Kelly and the cats led, followed by Carl driving the U-Haul, then me driving our car.... It was a gorgeous day! Quite unlike normal Wyoming weather at all.
We stopped for a late lunch at the Arby's in Casper, then headed home. Since it was so late, we just grabbed some energy bars for dinner, to be eaten while driving....
Once we got through Cheyenne, everyone was sure of the route, so Kelly took off ahead of us. She wound up getting to the house a bit before we did. Carl and I stopped one last time and I sent her a text telling her where the spare door key was hidden so that she could offload the cats and move our pick-up out of the driveway.
I got home a little after she did to find that one of the neighbors had noticed the open garage door, no cars in the driveway, lights on inside, and people moving around, so she came over to investigate, cell phone in hand, prepared to call the cops. About then, I drove up, reintroduced her to Kelly, and we chatted for a while.
Carl got there just a little later (I had lost him at our exit and he had to continue on to the next one) and backed the truck into the driveway for the night. We unloaded the cars and all promptly crashed for the night.
Thursday, October 18
We all slept in...... What a hectic week!
By the end of the day, the truck had been unloaded - half into our house and half into Kelly's new storage unit - and returned. Now, can we get back to "normal"?????