We got to the grounds at about 6:30 a.m. {after spending an hour in traffic}, just in time to see the morning patrol. It is about 15 balloons that go up when it is still dark to test the wind and air. It's a beautiful sight as they lite up simultaneously every few minutes.
As the sun started to come up we saw just what a HUGE event it is. The grounds are huge and every square inch is covered with teams of balloonists putting up balloons. Hundreds of balloons - no joke. And then they start to ascend and it is an incredible sight. As soon as the first group is up, more teams come out and again cover every square inch of earth with balloons and put theirs up. We saw this happen a total of 4 times and by the end there are hundreds of balloons in the sky. The best part is that you can stand right there while they're putting them up. We were so close we could touch them!
{first bunch of balloons starting to be inflated}
{first bunch of balloons starting to be inflated}
{a little more inflated}
This is the sight as we were walking back to the car. Mind you, this was only about half of the sky and you can see how many more balloons were still waiting to go up. SO AWESOME!
A few of the more fun balloons we saw {there were a ton of these and the kids loved them}
It was such a great morning, we can't wait to do it again next year. Part 2 will be next weekend when we go to the evening festivities. And yes, we literally stuck our kids in the car in their pjs, which is why they look so "casual." I highly recommend attending this event sometime in your life. I've never seen anything like it!
13 comments:
Wendie and Nate went to this a couple of years ago, and gave a similar report to yours. Your pictures are totally amazing, my kids would LOVE this. We see hot air balloons around here from time to time, and just a couple in the air is amazing. I can't imagine seeing as many as there are at the festival! What a fabulous experience, maybe one year we'll make it down for it!
They used to have a balloon race right across from my backyard growing up. I wish they still did it--my kids would love it! Your post reminded me of it--looked like a lot of fun!
That looks amazing! Your pictures are great! What a cool experience for your whole family - I'm so glad you decided to go!
How super fun for your family. My roomie was from there and always talked about how cool this event was. This is something your kids will not forget. Thanks for the heads up for the Snow White coupon. I am so excited. Can't wait to see more balloon pictures. Have you just loved your new camera?
Wow...really, really amazing. I've never seen anything like it in pictures either! And we get excited when we see the Re-Max balloon. What a cool experience.
I Love Hot Air Balloons!
I miss going to the "Freedom Festival" Balloon Fest in Provo.
Great Pics! Can't wait to see the rest!
beautiful pictures! This looks like so much fun. I am so glad you got up to do it (um because it would take a lot to get me out of bed, LOL). Which lens are you saving up for? I need a new lens asap...
My kids would freak to go the the balloon festival! We see them every cold morning behind our house. Fun pictures!!! Do they offer rides?
Oh very cool. I read about this from an author I enjoy; she lives in albuquerque and goes to this all the time, and in fact it was mentioned in one of her latest books, I think it was in "The Time of Aspen Falls." Her name is Marcia Lynn McClure just in case you ever want to read any of her books. She writes clean romance novels(i'm not sure if she's LDS), she probably has 30 out there, though they're all pretty similar. But they're fun.
That sounds really neat. The pictures are amazing, so I can only imagine how cool it was to actually be there!
Do you remember the Colorado Springs balloon festival when we helped some people get their balloon back to earth and helped them pack it up and then joined them in a prayer for the safety the team enjoyed. We didn't know the people at all but were impressed with their way of life.
Next year for us -- for certain!!!
Mom
Amazing! We did a puzzle of the Albuquerque balloon fiesta, and it was so fun.
Glad you are finding some fun new NM traditions. :)
Wow! That sounds incredible. Thank you for sharing your pictures. It looks amazing. Wow.
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