Hundreds of colorful balloons ascend into the sky in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the annual autumn balloon fiesta, leaving visitors craning their necks, snapping photo after photo. Though Egypt was the first place I ascended in a balloon, as I wrote in my last post, it wasn't the first time I'd been nose-to-basket with one of these inflatable giants.
I went solo on a hiking and biking trip in New Mexico with The World Outdoors one year and it happened to fall during the two-week balloon fiesta. I'd heard about the fiesta during yet another solo trip--that one rafting in Utah--and had always dreamed of going one day.
So after biking in and around Taos, Santa Fe and other beautiful places in New Mexico, I headed for Albuquerque.
The sky was a dark, deep blue in the wee hours of the morning when I set out for the day's events. I nearly crashed my rental car trying to catch a glimpse of the balloon glow in the distance, created by inflated balloons on the ground, the burners lighting them from the inside.
I realized I needed to keep my eyes on the road and wait until I reached the field of balloons to gawk. What a sight. When I arrived and parked, the sun was coming up. Dozens of balloons were already lifting into the sky, while scores of others lay flat out on the ground, their owners getting ready to inflate them.
These were not just your typical teardrop-shaped flyers. There were balloons shaped like a shoe, a house, a pig. Nothing makes you feel more like a kid than being surrounded by these huge, magical toy-like floating objects. I felt awed. And small. In a good way.
I bought a breakfast burrito, one of my all-time favorite Southwestern meals, at one of the many food stands. And then I wandered for a long time. I watched as balloons were filled with gas while still tethered to the ground. And watched as they were unclasped from their stakes and allowed to lift gently into the cerulean sky.
There were balloons everywhere, seemingly for miles, resembling the patterns created by bubbles blown from a wand dipped in soapy liquid. They scattered in the wind, some getting smaller and farther away, while new ones ascended and made their mark.
I didn't feel the need for companionship as I wandered this way and that. I stopped at a t-shirt stand to buy the best depiction of balloons on cotton. I admired that year's official balloon fiesta poster, and viewed those from previous years.
And when I'd had my fill, I took my leave exactly when I wanted. Ah, the freedom of solo travel.
--This year, the Alburquerque International Balloon Fiesta will be held from October 3 - 11. With 600 balloons participating, it is billed as the "largest ballooning event on earth."
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