Balloons Galore First Day

Up early to get to the Park and Ride for the ABQ Balloon Fiesta. It's still dark and as I check for my ticket I can't find it. It was supposed to in my email. I was never so glad to be in a very long line waiting to board buses. The line wound throughout the mall parking lot. I searched my files. My email is deleted after "X" number of days so the tickets were no longer in my phone. Gary suggested I email the Park & Ride support who responded to me right away even though it was 5:30 am. Unfortunately, she sent me my ticket for the next day. When I wrote back for this day's ticket the response wasn't so fast. Luckily, Gary was able to explain it easily to the older man guiding passengers to the bus and he just waved us on. It became a non-issue. Whew!
The winds had been a little too much at the Balloon Fiesta so they got a later start than planned. The timing was perfect though so we were in time to see the first balloons inflate and ascend. Mass Ascension is so fun!
This is the first day of the fiesta and there were crowds everywhere on this huge field, like 9 football fields huge! We all took a load of photos!
We left the field a few hours later, got brunch and rested.
Patrick and Judy invited us to join them in the afternoon for a wine-tasting at the Corrales Winery. It was hot in the sun and at first, I wanted to stay indoors. I was convinced to go outside where we sat under the shade of a willow tree. It was delightful! The air is so very dry. Nice relief from Texas humidity! Sucha wonderful time spent with friends.
Gary took us back to the Balloon Fiesta for Evening Glow, a drone show and fireworks. At first Evening Glow was just a Candlelight event where the propane burners of the gondolas are fired up. Once the winds died down they inflated the balloons and lit the burners. Of course, they don't fly at night but it's a cool sight to behold.Read more