2004 - Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Albuquerque, NM - Our "Route 66 Road Trip" in October 2004 brought us to Albuquerque, NM, in time for one of the great photographic spectacles on the planet - the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

2009-02-13T11:04:58Z

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Albuquerque, NM - Our "Route 66 Road Trip" in October 2004 brought us to Albuquerque, NM, in time for one of the great photographic spectacles on the planet - the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

Albuquerque, NM - We arrived early, before daybreak, so as not to miss the opening act of this amazing "sky parade."

2009-06-13T09:54:26Z

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Albuquerque, NM - We arrived early, before daybreak, so as not to miss the opening act of this amazing "sky parade."

Albuquerque, NM - It all began around 5:30 a.m. when the first balloonists began testing their propane burners and "cold inflating" their balloons.

2009-02-13T11:00:25Z

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Albuquerque, NM - It all began around 5:30 a.m. when the first balloonists began testing their propane burners and "cold inflating" their balloons.

Albuquerque, NM - Then suddenly, illuminated by the propane flame, a balloon would burst to life .... on second thought, perhaps "burst" isn't the best word to describe a balloon inflation.

2009-06-13T09:49:29Z

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Albuquerque, NM - Then suddenly, illuminated by the propane flame, a balloon would burst to life .... on second thought, perhaps "burst" isn't the best word to describe a balloon inflation.

Albuquerque, NM - Out of the blackness of the pre-dawn, a luminescent balloon would appear....

2009-06-13T19:30:42Z

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Albuquerque, NM - Out of the blackness of the pre-dawn, a luminescent balloon would appear....

Albuquerque, NM - ....then more and more, until a line of a half dozen or so balloons were ready to ascend as the "Dawn Patrol."

2009-06-13T09:56:24Z

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Albuquerque, NM - ....then more and more, until a line of a half dozen or so balloons were ready to ascend as the "Dawn Patrol."

Albuquerque, NM - The balloons' propane burners lit up the horizon. The pilots are in contact with each other, so in a synchronized light show, the balloons all glow at once.

2009-06-13T09:53:10Z

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Albuquerque, NM - The balloons' propane burners lit up the horizon. The pilots are in contact with each other, so in a synchronized light show, the balloons all glow at once.

Then, like blinking, groggy fireflies, the first balloons began to ascend....bringing new meaning to the phrase "early risers."

2009-06-13T09:34:33Z

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Then, like blinking, groggy fireflies, the first balloons began to ascend....bringing new meaning to the phrase "early risers."

After the first dozen or so balloons lifted into the early dawn sky, there was a brief interlude before the Mass Ascension began....time for Jeanne to enjoy her breakfast burrito.

2009-06-13T09:25:30Z

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After the first dozen or so balloons lifted into the early dawn sky, there was a brief interlude before the Mass Ascension began....time for Jeanne to enjoy her breakfast burrito.

But it was soon back to the staging area, wandering among the still-awakening balloons being readied for take off.

2009-02-13T11:02:28Z

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But it was soon back to the staging area, wandering among the still-awakening balloons being readied for take off.

As the hot air fills the fabric, a kaleidoscope of color begins to rise from the field.

2009-06-13T09:49:52Z

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As the hot air fills the fabric, a kaleidoscope of color begins to rise from the field.

Then, in the early morning, beneath a crystal clear, blue New Mexico sky, the first balloons freed themselves from their earthly moorings and began to ascend.

2009-06-13T09:26:11Z

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Then, in the early morning, beneath a crystal clear, blue New Mexico sky, the first balloons freed themselves from their earthly moorings and began to ascend.

At first there were just a few taking to the skies....

2009-06-13T09:49:29Z

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At first there were just a few taking to the skies....

....then gradually, more and more balloons began their climb into a perfect October sky.

2009-06-13T09:58:07Z

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....then gradually, more and more balloons began their climb into a perfect October sky.

Within moments the sky became painted with scores of brightly hued balloons taking off from a launch area the size of 54 football fields.

2009-02-13T10:51:04Z

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Within moments the sky became painted with scores of brightly hued balloons taking off from a launch area the size of 54 football fields.

At times it seemed the balloons were vying for their rightful spot in the sky....

2009-06-13T09:50:33Z

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At times it seemed the balloons were vying for their rightful spot in the sky....

....while others seemed to rise in perfectly choreographed harmony.

2009-06-13T09:28:56Z

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....while others seemed to rise in perfectly choreographed harmony.

It was a magical, moving picture show playing out across the desert sky....

2009-06-13T09:31:32Z

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It was a magical, moving picture show playing out across the desert sky....

....as balloons of all colors took to the air, some with a patriotic theme....

2009-06-13T10:11:01Z

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....as balloons of all colors took to the air, some with a patriotic theme....

....others carrying the colors and logos of their commercial sponsors.

2009-06-13T19:19:40Z

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....others carrying the colors and logos of their commercial sponsors.

In a matter of moments, the desert sky was filled with graceful giants....

2009-06-13T09:46:44Z

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In a matter of moments, the desert sky was filled with graceful giants....

.... and by mid-morning, the Mass Ascension was underway in full force. From its modest beginnings in 1972 with 13 balloons launching from a shopping mall parking lot, the Albuquerque Ballo ...

2009-06-13T09:30:23Z

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.... and by mid-morning, the Mass Ascension was underway in full force. From its modest beginnings in 1972 with 13 balloons launching from a shopping mall parking lot, the Albuquerque Ballo ...

And just when we thought we had seen the most amazing sights of the day, suddenly the first of the "special" balloons appeared - those that take on a somewhat "non-traditional" appearance.

2009-06-13T09:43:04Z

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And just when we thought we had seen the most amazing sights of the day, suddenly the first of the "special" balloons appeared - those that take on a somewhat "non-traditional" appearance.

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is truly one of the world's great spectacles, the largest ballooning event on earth and the most photographed event of any type, surpassing even the Rose Parad ...

2009-06-13T09:38:53Z

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The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is truly one of the world's great spectacles, the largest ballooning event on earth and the most photographed event of any type, surpassing even the Rose Parad ...

Again, some of these "specially-shaped" balloons displayed a patriotic flare....

2009-02-13T10:57:21Z

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Again, some of these "specially-shaped" balloons displayed a patriotic flare....

....while others found a way to showcase their business in an eye-catching way.

2009-06-13T09:53:10Z

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....while others found a way to showcase their business in an eye-catching way.

We paused briefly and turned our attention from the skies to have our "we were there" picture made in the midst of the nearly 20,000 spectators. Unlike many other balloon festivals, there a ...

2009-06-13T09:37:07Z

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We paused briefly and turned our attention from the skies to have our "we were there" picture made in the midst of the nearly 20,000 spectators. Unlike many other balloon festivals, there a ...

But then it was back to sky gazing as the balloon shapes began to become more imaginative....

2009-06-13T09:38:08Z

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But then it was back to sky gazing as the balloon shapes began to become more imaginative....

.... then more whimisical (even if not aerodynamically streamlined) ....

2009-06-13T09:41:26Z

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.... then more whimisical (even if not aerodynamically streamlined) ....

...then bordering on comical....

2009-02-13T11:02:17Z

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...then bordering on comical....

....with shapes adapted from vehicles of the past....

2009-06-13T09:24:41Z

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....with shapes adapted from vehicles of the past....

.... and from images with a certain "out-of-this-world" appearance ....

2009-06-13T09:47:08Z

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.... and from images with a certain "out-of-this-world" appearance ....

Some of the shapes were "experimental"....

2009-02-13T10:52:39Z

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Some of the shapes were "experimental"....

....others were more playful....

2009-06-13T10:11:37Z

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....others were more playful....

...some reflected a refined image of hot tea in fine porcelain ....

2009-06-13T19:07:50Z

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...some reflected a refined image of hot tea in fine porcelain ....

....while others were symbolic of another beverage.

2009-06-13T09:47:46Z

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....while others were symbolic of another beverage.

Some were appropriately patterned after colorful birds...

2009-06-13T19:31:42Z

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Some were appropriately patterned after colorful birds...

....while others represented flying objects of a different type....

2009-06-13T09:48:21Z

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....while others represented flying objects of a different type....

....and some were based on aerial antics that revealed that some balloonists must have a somewhat morbid sense of humor.

2009-02-13T10:56:55Z

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....and some were based on aerial antics that revealed that some balloonists must have a somewhat morbid sense of humor.

Everywhere we looked, there was something that caught our eye....

2009-06-13T19:12:21Z

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Everywhere we looked, there was something that caught our eye....

....and at times, we thought we might be seeing double.

2009-06-13T09:33:04Z

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....and at times, we thought we might be seeing double.

It is quite likely that many of the spectators would go home with sore necks.

2009-06-13T09:37:19Z

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It is quite likely that many of the spectators would go home with sore necks.

But that didn't keep us from enjoying the spectacular display overhead.....

2009-06-13T19:16:58Z

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But that didn't keep us from enjoying the spectacular display overhead.....

.... or taking nearly 300 photos (which thankfully, we have culled down to about 50 or so for this photo travel log) ....

2009-06-13T09:54:57Z

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.... or taking nearly 300 photos (which thankfully, we have culled down to about 50 or so for this photo travel log) ....

At times some of our fellow spectators - perfect strangers - would ask us to take their photos against the backdrop of balloons....

2009-06-13T09:41:49Z

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At times some of our fellow spectators - perfect strangers - would ask us to take their photos against the backdrop of balloons....

.... and we managed to take a few photos of folks we knew.

2009-06-13T09:53:58Z

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.... and we managed to take a few photos of folks we knew.

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is one of the world's great wonders...with a distinctly New Mexican flair: the smell of roasting chiles drifted through the air as easily as the balloons. The ...

2009-06-13T09:56:45Z

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The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is one of the world's great wonders...with a distinctly New Mexican flair: the smell of roasting chiles drifted through the air as easily as the balloons. The ...

Some of our party just couldn't resist posing for a final photo in front of the Spam trailer.

2009-06-13T09:55:13Z

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Some of our party just couldn't resist posing for a final photo in front of the Spam trailer.

Arriving back at the home of our gracious hosts, we could take one last long-distance look at the balloons from the balcony....

2009-06-13T09:54:32Z

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Arriving back at the home of our gracious hosts, we could take one last long-distance look at the balloons from the balcony....

....now drifting silently over the city of Albuquerque. The balloon festival would continue for the next nine days, but we would head on to different adventures.

2009-06-13T09:40:57Z

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....now drifting silently over the city of Albuquerque. The balloon festival would continue for the next nine days, but we would head on to different adventures.