Wok N Roll with us...Bob and Teri Along with Atlas and Kalani: Albuquerque, NM 9/29/14

Albuquerque, NM- Balloons everywhere. So much to see and so much to do as well. We plan to do more than one post while here so check back during this time. We know people are excited to see the balloons so we wanted to get the first post out as soon as we could.

The Balloons- Wow, like wow again. We are dry camping for 2 weeks (no hookups) but what a special location we have. The balloons we have seen pass by our windows for days as most mornings they have passed by our rig as they begin to prepare for the big Fiesta. It has been a great teaser for sure.

Our first morning of the Albuquerque 43rd Annual Balloon Fiesta began by us leaving our rig along with our neighbors full of excitement at 5:30 am. We walked in the dark with the chill of the morning air, excited to experience our first morning of balloons. We were greeted at the field with the glow of many balloons lighting up the dark, and as we stood on the field, we watched as more balloons were pulled out, laid out and teams began to inflate them. Many balloons were nestled within very close quarters. While the Dawn Patrol (the more experienced balloon pilots) tested the morning air first, the dawn patrol was followed with the National Anthem, while the Yellow Fiesta Balloon with American flag hovered above. Following the National anthem cheers were heard as each balloon got their individual clearance and began to leave land and join the many balloons during the morning's mass ascension of balloons. More than 550 balloons are part of this year's Fiesta, with over 100 balloons of special shapes included and pilots from the United States and 21 foreign countries. The special shape balloon Darth Vader, a 7 year participant was joined this year by a new surprise which was not revealed until the opening morning- Yoda. Both Darth Vader and Yoda were built in England and are owned by Benoit Lambert from Belgium.

Seeing the balloons up close and experiencing the excitement on the field is a special treat. We hope you enjoy our first posting of pictures from the 43rd Annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.