What kind of festival brings 20,000 people out in the chilly predawn hours
to wait for the main event to start? I squeeze through shoulder-to-shoulder
crowds and buy a cup of coffee and a breakfast burrito, then join the half-awake
masses on the grassy field. This isn't a stadium rock concert or a Superbowl
tailgate party, it's the largest hot-air-balloon festival in the world. Each
October, 750 balloonists from dozens of nations gather in Albuquerque for the
nine-day International Balloon Fiesta.
As the first glimmers of light brighten the sky, ground crews spread the balloon
canopies in ordered rows across the field. Like wiggling caterpillars, the balloons
swell with air. Then the magic moment arrives and they metamorphose into delicate
creatures of the sky, straining to leave the confines of the earthbound.
Unlike most mega events, Balloon Fiesta encourages fans to get personal with
the star attractions. Crowds mill around the launch field as the first row of
balloons springs to life. Then, as the first rays peak over the 10,000-foot Sandia
Mountains, wave after wave of balloons lift off.
The adrenaline rush of seeing hundreds of brilliantly colored balloons floating
into the dawn sky takes me by surprise. The child within thrills as each balloon
lifts off, and I'm not alone with the elation. Bystanders applaud, shout encouragement,
snap photos, and chatter on cell phones to friends who decided to sleep in. By
the time several hundred balloons lift off, the sky looks like a blue canvas
splashed with every color in the spectrum.
The next morning I join California pilot Gary Michalek in his two-person gondola
for the mass ascension. He fires the propane burner and the wicker basket hesitantly
inches above the grassy field. "Every balloon pilot dreams of coming to
the Albuquerque festival," Michalek tells me as we join the floating rainbow
of balloons drifting away in the breeze. "Albuquerque is the absolute Mecca
of hot air ballooning."
"Every balloon pilot dreams of coming to the Albuquerque festival," Michalek
tells me as we join the floating rainbow of balloons drifting away in the breeze. "Albuquerque
is the absolute Mecca of hot air ballooning."
Besides the traditional teardrop-shaped balloons, special-shaped balloons
fill the sky with dream-like forms. The Creamland Dairy "cow" comes
to life on one row and on another an 89-foot-tall Darth Vader from Belgium rises
above cheering bystanders. Almost 100 imaginatively shaped balloons delight the
crowds.
In 2007, more than 700 hundred balloons from 40 states and 24 nations floated
above the city. Weekends feature the spectacular mass ascensions. During the
week, pilots test their skills with contests that offer prizes of cars, trucks
and motorcycles. In the evenings, the balloons stay aground but light up for
flickering "balloon glows" followed by fireworks and live music.
Michalek fires the burner and keeps our balloon at an elevation with north-blowing
winds. We drift peacefully on a gentle breeze with no sounds except the occasional
roar of the burner. "Since we're moving at the same speed as the wind,
you get no noise or sense of motion," Michalek explains.
The 360-degree view encompasses the city and a landscape that stretches to
distant horizons dotted with conical blue mountains. Below us, the forested floodplain
of the Rio Grande, a green ribbon of life through the desert, meanders through
the heart of the city. The grid of streets and houses looks like a game board.
We float over a corn field maze, horse corrals, and a house that looks like a
space station. People wave, dogs bark, and cars inch along winding streets.
After an hour, we start looking for a place to land. "You can't steer
a balloon, you go with the wind," Michalek says. "Balloons need lots
of wide, open spaces. The great thing about Albuquerque is that it has plenty
of open areas for landing, but the city's rapid growth makes finding a safe spot
harder every year."
The breeze takes us past outlying subdivisions to an area in the desert with
scattered houses. "They say every balloon landing is a crash landing," Michalek
warns. "When we touch down, bend your knees and hold on tight."
Michalek skillfully drops down in a vacant block beside a 4-lane boulevard
and a church. As we impact, he pulls open the vent that deflates the canopy.
We bounce a few times but the basket doesn't tip over. Soon, the chase crew and
several eager residents show up to help stow the balloon.
The annual Balloon Fiesta isn't the only time Albuquerque residents and visitors
can experience the thrill of flight. On almost any given morning, commercial
hot air balloons dot the morning sky. Yet, nothing can compare with participating
in a mass ascension at Balloon Fiesta. Floating in the tranquility of space,
1,000 feet above the concerns of the earthbound, I easily understand how a person
could fall in love with humans' first form of flight.
If you go:
For information about the 2008 Balloon Fiesta, October 4th through the 12th,
see www.balloonfiesta.com. For
an Albuquerque visitor guide with lodging and activity information, call 1-800-284-2282,
or see www.itsatrip.org.
