Flights of Fancy
Discover the Beauty of Balloons Over
Albuquerque
By BRENDA and SAM BLANKENSHIP
Picture 750 colorful hot air balloons floating in a
bright blue southwestern sky. Down below, the Rio Grande River flows
through a high desert with the 10,000-foot Sandia Mountains as a
backdrop. This is the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the
world’s largest balloon event since 1972, now held every year in the
first week of October.
Soon after we moved to New Mexico, we started inviting our Virginia
family and friends to visit during the Balloon Fiesta. Virginians from
Short Pump, Colonial Heights and Blacksburg have come to Albuquerque to
enjoy the desert landscape, learn some history, eat spicy food, and, of
course, watch the hot air balloons. Everyone has loved it.
The earliest event on every day of the Balloon Fiesta is the dawn
patrol. A few balloons go up well before dawn from Balloon Fiesta Park
to check out the winds. These flights are very dramatic, as the flames
from the burners light up the balloons against the dark sky.
On most mornings, mass ascensions follow the dawn patrol. All balloons
take off in several waves starting at 7 a.m. You can walk in the launch
field among the balloons as they are prepared for launch. The balloon
crew rolls out the balloon envelope on an open stretch of grass and
starts filling it with hot air; you can stand so close you feel the heat
from the burners.
After the balloon starts to rise, the crew and passengers step into the
basket and wait for the zebra—the launch director in black and white
stripes—who gives permission to take off. With a roar of the burners,
the balloon drifts away into the air. Our 7-year-old granddaughter
Beverley was captivated by the action. So were her parents.
Balloon Boxes and Bees
Balloons must follow the wind, so they usually fly one-way trips.
Sometimes in the Rio Grande valley, the wind near the ground blows south
and the wind at higher elevations blows north. When this is true, the
“Albuquerque box” is working.
The box permits skillful pilots to leave the Balloon Fiesta Park during
a mass ascension, fly a loop and land back at the park where they took
off. Balloonists come from around the world to fly the Albuquerque box.
Most hot air balloons look something like an ice cream cone: round on
top and tapering in a cone down to the basket. But balloons can take on
many other shapes, like houses, bears and stagecoaches. Among our
favorites are two balloons from Brazil that look like bees, one male and
one female. There are enough balloons with special shapes to hold their
own mass ascension one morning during the Balloon Fiesta.
An Illuminating Experience
A remarkable event called a glow happens after dark. Tethered balloons
inflate but do not take off. The pilots turn their burners on and off
repeatedly. The balloons glow in the dark, so Balloon Fiesta Park is
filled with pulsating light. A fireworks display ends the evening.
Shops on the east side of the park offer food including Indian fry
bread, breakfast burritos and funnel cakes. They also sell souvenirs,
such as ballooning pins. The pins are collectables, and you will see
enthusiasts strolling around the grounds with dozens of pins on their
hats or scarves.
Yes, you can ride in a balloon at the Fiesta. Several commercial
ballooning firms in Albuquerque offer rides to the public. We have taken
a balloon ride, and it was thrilling.
Sights Somewhat Lower
When the balloons are not flying, there is still a lot to see and do in
this New Mexican city. Petroglyph National Monument runs along the mesa
to the west of the Rio Grande. It protects 20,000 examples of
petroglyphs, rock art created up to 4,000 years ago by earlier
inhabitants.
The American Indians along the Rio Grande live in towns called pueblos
that they have occupied for many centuries. The Acoma pueblo on I-40 to
the west welcomes visitors to Sky City, an old pueblo on top of an
isolated mesa. Like many pueblos, Acoma is known for a distinctive
pottery style and for operating a casino. The Santa Ana, Sandia and
Isleta pueblos also operate casinos near Albuquerque on the north and
south sides of town.
Albuquerque is a new town, established in 1706, more than a century
after the Spanish established a colony in New Mexico in 1598.
Today, the neighborhood around the original plaza is known as Old Town.
It is a good place to take in the distinctive architecture and culture
of New Mexico. The New Mexican-style San Felipe de Neri church occupies
the north side of the plaza.
We think the most impressive thing to do, except for riding in a
balloon, is to ride on the world’s longest tramway to the top of the
Sandia Mountains to the east. The views are spectacular in all
directions, with the horizon stretching out to more than 100 miles. The
tram is the only way to reach the High Finance restaurant, the most
scenic place to eat in town. Almost all of the tables have views to the
west, where the sunsets are often outstanding.
Local Color on Your Plate
The Church Street Café in Old Town is our favorite little getaway for
New Mexican cuisine. Located in the oldest house in Albuquerque, this
restaurant serves traditional dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner
inside its three-foot-thick adobe walls. The Café is a little less
crowded than other local favorites like La Placita, Sadie’s and El
Pinto, which all serve tasty food.
Waiters at these restaurants will ask, “Do you want red or green with
that?” Many New Mexican dishes are based on chile, a sauce made from red
or green hot peppers.
Neither color is inherently hotter or milder than the other; the spicy
heat depends on the recipe and the varieties of peppers used. If you are
not sure about your taste for hot peppers, you can request a mild chile
or order it on the side. Chili, the Texas kind with beans and meat, is
not related to New Mexican chile.
Getting There and Staying There
Major airlines fly to the Albuquerque Sunport, as we call our airport.
Amtrak serves Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The trip from Richmond runs
through Chicago and takes two days each way.
All major hotel chains have properties within 10 miles of Balloon Fiesta
Park, but many Albuquerque hotel rooms are much closer. Sandia Resort
and Casino is a very close, high-end hotel. Nativo Lodge is a nearby
hotel with a southwest Indian decor. A Courtyard and the Marriott
Albuquerque Pyramid are among the several chain hotels conveniently
located on north I-25 near Balloon Fiesta Park. Our family and friends
have stayed at all of these and liked them very much.
Brenda and Sam Blankenship are displaced
Virginians who live in New Mexico. Brenda grew up in Richmond as Brenda
Allen. Sam attended high school in Yorktown.
