Hard to believe that Balloon Fiesta is here! This is one of our absolute favorite events in New Mexico. There are definitely two schools of thought for people who live in ABQ regarding the Fiesta. Either love it (the balloons, the bustle) or hate it (the crowds, the tourists). We are definitely in the former ! Our favorite event of this two week celebration is the Mass Ascension where over 600 balloons fill and launch from a large field just after dawn. The great part is that everyone is allowed to walk through this chaotic hustle and bustle with balloons launching all around you. In fact our first time 5 years ago when we didn't quite know what was going on, someone gave us a rope and told us to help! That cinched it for us. But we do go on about it, so see any of our previous posts here or here for more details.
Left: biking toward the festival with balloon in the air, right: sun just peeked over the Sandias
This will be our 4th visit to the park for Mass Ascension, and we usually we go in by the park and shuttle service, which requires departing the house by 5ish. This year, however, we went by bike! The city extended the North Diversion Channel bike trail, which is a short ride from our house, all the way into the BF park. It even terminates with a handy free bike valet service when you get there. Check in your bike and just walk into the park!
Left: Bike valet service!, right, our first Fiesta with Connor.
So we headed out around 6:30 after Connor woke up, and drove about halfway to the park. Then we loaded up the Chariot and biked the rest of the way. We were in the park by 7:15, just missing the 7 am start. It was also a fantastic weekend to go. It was unusually warm - normally we are wearing hats and gloves in the chilly morning air, but today we biked in with minimal warm clothes.
It was a gorgeous morning! Perfect light with full sun to make the balloon look extra nice. We wandered into the park and put down a blanket so Connor could crawl around a little bit. Then we headed into the throng of balloon and people to meet up with some friends, who are as enthused about this thing as us. We watched a few balloon launches, including my favorite, the Darth Vader balloon. Then we headed out before the festivities were over - we needed to get the boy home for a nap! He was great - no fussing during the bike rides and he loved the festival, although this year he was way more interested in all the people than the balloons. He had such a big morning that he fell asleep on the bike ride back to the car. This was such a great and painless experience, we hope to repeat this again next weekend!
Left: heading home, right: so tired he fell asleep on the ride back.
Left: biking toward the festival with balloon in the air, right: sun just peeked over the Sandias
This will be our 4th visit to the park for Mass Ascension, and we usually we go in by the park and shuttle service, which requires departing the house by 5ish. This year, however, we went by bike! The city extended the North Diversion Channel bike trail, which is a short ride from our house, all the way into the BF park. It even terminates with a handy free bike valet service when you get there. Check in your bike and just walk into the park!
Left: Bike valet service!, right, our first Fiesta with Connor.
So we headed out around 6:30 after Connor woke up, and drove about halfway to the park. Then we loaded up the Chariot and biked the rest of the way. We were in the park by 7:15, just missing the 7 am start. It was also a fantastic weekend to go. It was unusually warm - normally we are wearing hats and gloves in the chilly morning air, but today we biked in with minimal warm clothes.
It was a gorgeous morning! Perfect light with full sun to make the balloon look extra nice. We wandered into the park and put down a blanket so Connor could crawl around a little bit. Then we headed into the throng of balloon and people to meet up with some friends, who are as enthused about this thing as us. We watched a few balloon launches, including my favorite, the Darth Vader balloon. Then we headed out before the festivities were over - we needed to get the boy home for a nap! He was great - no fussing during the bike rides and he loved the festival, although this year he was way more interested in all the people than the balloons. He had such a big morning that he fell asleep on the bike ride back to the car. This was such a great and painless experience, we hope to repeat this again next weekend!
Left: heading home, right: so tired he fell asleep on the ride back.
1 comment:
What a great day! We made it up there today, and Seamus loved it. Gilbert didn't really care for the chilly morning. No bikes yet, maybe another year. The bike valet sounds awesome.
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