catching up, part two

picking up where we left off...

staying for the bat flight put me a little behind schedule, but i received a warm greeting in el paso nonetheless.

tommy and i met several months ago online, and since my journey would be taking me through his hometown, a meeting was in order.

upon arriving, i was welcomed with open arms by him, his mother, and the three dogs. i was promptly fed before we headed out to see the sites of el paso. we drove up 'scenic' drive and got a great overview of not only the city, but also, just across the river, mexico.

as a matter of fact, we even managed to get stopped by border patrol on the way back from t's work. it sits on the mexico side of the river, though still technically in the state of texas. with a quick 'i work here' from tommy, and the obviousness of our non-Mexican heritage, we were speedily let on our way.

after a tour of the utep campus, we headed home and called it a night.

the following morning, i got to sleep in. tommy and his family all got up and out to their various activities for the day, and it wasn't long after that i heard my door open. apparently i hadn't latched it completely, and the dogs were looking for company. that was alright by me, and with a 'come on', i suddenly found myself covered in canines. one on my feet, one at my stomach, and one in the crook of my arm. i fell back into a blissful sleep, the sadness of missing my own dog, temporarily alleviated.


eventually, it was time to start moving. i got up, got ready, and when tommy came home he took me to a great little tex-mex place for lunch. then it was time to be on my way. still a lot of road to cover!


from el paso, it was on to albuquerque. this had been my one 'must see' of the trip, and as such, i didn't have a lot of flexibility on timing beforehand. i had bought tickets to attend the annual international balloon fiesta on the 10th, and i was not going to miss it. having heard about this for years and years, as it is one of the premiere hot air/gas balloon events in the world, i couldn't believe my luck when i had learned that the timing would coincide with my travels.

i arrived in abq in the early evening and got checked in at my hotel. i thought it would be prudent to check out the 'park and ride' pickup location that i had selected. though you can park at the grounds, it was actually cheaper for me to do the park and ride, and since i had no idea what to expect, also safer. i wouldn't have to contend with thraffic, or finding my car after having been up since 4am.

the pickup location was easily found, and i headed back to the hotel to settly in for the night. i needed to get some sleep if i was going to get up that early, and though i wasn't entirely successful, at least i was just relaxing--not running hither and fro.

but 4am still came far too early. time to suck it up. i was at the park & ride by 5am to catch the first shuttle to the park. the first event i was attending was the 'dawn patrol', a pre-dawn flight of a dozen or so balloons. what makes this such an interesting event is that it gives an opportunity to see what the balloons look like lit up.

i arrived at fiesta park to find rows upon rows of vendors selling food, gifts, you name it. i paused to watch the local nbc team do a little morning show filming, and when on break, the weatherman called a few of us over to be in the shot. as i was just behind his right shoulder, i was famous in albuquerque for a minute or two:)

from there i wandered over to a booth where i picked up breakfast, then began my search for a charm for the bracelet. i started this tradition about 5 years ago, and since, have been collecting charms from places i travel. the bracelet is starting to get very heavy, but it's one of my favorite things to wear, as it is full of memories.

my search was successful, but i continued my wanderings until the balloons were ready to launch. the contrast of the balloons lit with fire against the dark sky was quite dramatic, and made my early rising well worth it. as you might imagine, pictures were difficult, but i did manage to capture this one:


after the dawn group had left, scores of trucks and trailers began littering the field. there were more rows than i could count, covering an expanse farther than i could see, of balloons lining up. having had the opportunity to fly in a couple of hot air balloons previously, i know what a physical challenge this can be, and i was amazed at the precision and efficiency demonstrated in preparing the balloons for launch.



as the sun began to rise, balloons began to launch. the sight was incredible. balloons as far as the eye could see, both lined up on the field, and already hovering in the air. i am told that nearly 300 balloons flew that day, and i believe it!

there were some particularly fun balloons, a darth vader (which remained my favorite) balloon was the first 'special shape' to launch, but there was also a turtle, an angel, bumblebees, a cow, the wells fargo wagon... but even the 'regular' balloons were amazing. i have always thought hot air balloons quite beautiful, but seeing so many in one place was breathtaking.



i did a little more wandering, as the balloons could clearly be seen from just about anywhere in the park. i met some interesting people--learned that the turtle balloon cost a cool million, visited the balloon discovery center, and enjoyed the perfect day. blue and clear skies, gorgeous temperature. all in all, it was a perfect experience, and one i'd love to share with a friend or companion in the future. if you ever happen to be in the southwest in october, this festival is a must!



to be continued...