Poor neglected blog. I've been meaning to post some pics of the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque since I got back a couple of weeks ago. I went out there for meetings that were conveniently scheduled during the afternoons so we could go to the Fiesta in the mornings. These pictures don't do justice to the experience. It's amazing being out there on the field watching the balloons go up all around you. In the pictures they look far away but they weren't; they were close. And all moving, independently of one another. The sky was filled with hundreds of colorful balloons, and when the sun came up high enough over the Sandia mountains to hit them it was beautiful. Well, see for yourself.
First, a couple of pics of a balloon being filled. They start by blowing cold air into it with a fan:
Then they turn on a burner, which causes the balloon to quickly lift off the ground:
Balloons about to launch:
In addition to the traditional balloons, there were all kinds of shapes...
ALL KINDS of shapes...
Balloons everywhere...
Floating peacefully in the sun...
