It was not going to be an ordinary day. I knew that when the alarm clock sounded at 4:45 a.m. But after the shock subsided, I tumbled out of bed anyway, anxious to experience what the day had to offer. I was in Albuquerque, NM, and ready to check hot air ballooning off of my life’s Do List.
Albuquerque is the nation’s, and one of the world’s, premiere hot air ballooning locations. A combination of good weather, pristine air and wind flow off of the Sandia Mountains creates perfect ballooning conditions about 350 days out of the year. It’s the thin air of the mountain desert that enhances light and color to make the view along the Rio Grande valley the most photographed scene in the Southwest.
I didn’t know it at the time my alarm jolted me awake, nor as I pulled into the vacant lot next to a Toys ‘R Us, that I was about to become what is commonly called in the business a “balloon bag babe.”
No brilliantly striped balloon filled the air, only a couple of guys in a pick up truck pulling a trailer that carried a rather large straw basket.
It is the opinion of the owners Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Company that those experiencing hot air ballooning should experience the whole thing. So my friends and I helped unfold more than 65 feet of nylon and hold open the edges as huge fans pumped air and life in our developing balloon.
As the sun began to light the sky, we climbed over the side of the basket and our adventure began.
Why Balloon in ABQ?
They’ve been filling balloons with hot gas for more than 100 years in Albuquerque, and almost any day of the year you’ll see balloons in the sky around the city. The unique and constant wind patterns around the Sandia mountains create an effect that has become known as the Albuquerque Box, thus allowing for perfect conditions nearly 350 days of the year. However, the best time of day for ballooning is in the wee morning hours or just an hour or two before sunset.
The Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, which opened in 2005, highlights the science, diplomacy and the history of the activity. Point of trivia for next cocktail party: the first hot air balloon flight was in 1783 by three drunk Frenchman who landed in a cow pasture and used wine to make peace with the farmers whose cattle had been disturbed. They were in the air 25 minutes.
Named for two guys who were the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a hot air balloon, the museum has more than 50 historically significant gondolas, which are more commonly called baskets. Conspicuously absent from the many pop culture references is the balloon that was to have transported Dorothy back to Kansas from the Land of Oz.
Nonetheless, the museum is an interesting and photographically relevant destination in Albuquerque and the perhaps the best place in the region to watch the assent of balloons during the Balloon Fiesta or any day of the year.
The first Fiesta was in 1972 and just 13 balloonists participated. Now nearly a million people from around the world head to Albuquerque each October. The 10-day event includes about 700 balloons and is easily recognized as the largest balloon event in the world.
As pretty as they are to look at, there is a competitive component as well. Competitions include precision flying, target drops, key grabs and cash grabs and the prizes are significant.
No matter what time of the year it is you are reading this, if you want to attend the next Balloon Fiesta, make your reservations NOW. With more than 900,000 attendees, hotel rooms fill up fast.
Taking to the Skies
As our balloon pilot primed the burners and the ground crew removed sandbags weighing our basket down, we began to rise. So very gently and so very quietly, we lifted up above the homes and businesses of Albuquerque coming to life. Dogs barked in backyards and the occasional jogger looked up and waved, but balloons flying at treetop level through the neighborhoods of this town is not an unusual site.
Although ballooning can accurately be described as a silent sport, it is pretty noisy those few seconds every couple of minutes when the burners release more heat into the balloon, keeping everyone up in the air. And here’s a tip: Don’t position yourself in the basket directly under the burners, near the pilot. The top of your head is going to get very, very hot.
The pilot said we were moving about 5 to 10 knots, the speed of the wind that September morning. As we moved up and down through the sky, we were witness to numerous other balloons lifting in the sky and slowly moving in a procession along the Rio Grande riverbed.
Here’s another tip: Be quiet. While it’s an exciting adventure and so many things to point out, ask and share with friends, the true beauty of balloon flight is witnessing the silent majesty of the earth from this unique position.
Coming Down to Earth
Landing a hot air balloon is as much in the hands of fate as it is in the hands of the pilot. While the pilot can manipulate to some degree where the balloon is going to land, he or she really has very little control over it. That’s why the ground crew has been following along in a truck or van, watching where we land.
We bumped a little hard and the basket tipped about 45 degrees as the balloon continued to drag us just a few feet. But the cooling air and the adept hands of the pilot quickly deflated the colorful giant.
The ground crew helped us climb out and immediately popped champagne, a tradition that perhaps dates back to those first flying Frenchmen, but who knows. We enjoyed fresh strawberries and donuts and bubbly and toasted our own mojo as we checked another very important first off of the Life’s Do List.
