The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. -Psalm 19:1
At 6:30 AM, still dark, they did a Drone Light show. Pretty cool.Another design in the Drone Light show.Balloons started lifting off in the dark, and the fire made the balloons glow.This is our balloon flat on the ground.Our pilot inflating the balloon.Ready for liftoff!Inside of the balloon.The liftoff was very smooth.More balloons will follow us!It was actually warm as we floated in the sky, about 2,000 feet above ground. Albuquerque is at altitude of about 5,000 feet so we are 7,000 feet above sea level.We felt no breeze while in the balloon. The breeze is what moves the balloon, so we were actually moving at whatever the wind speed was.So peaceful.There are about 500 balloons at the Fiesta, about 300 while we were in the air.Close encounter. Our balloon actually “kissed” this balloon but we did not feel any impact.University of New Mexico’s balloon.Here are a few balloons up close.This is the way we landed, on our backs! Not to worry, it was intentional.Our landing was about a 30 foot skid in an abandoned golf course. Our balloon deflated after landing.Every balloon flight is celebrated with a champagne toast. This tradition dates back to the 1700s in France, the very early years of balloon flights. Since you can’t really accurately control where the balloon lands, often times balloons would land on someone’s private property, typically a farm. In the early years, people who had not seen or heard of balloons were fearful that the balloon was a dragon (or worse). Thus developed the tradition of bringing a bottle of champagne to give to the farmer as a peace offering. Champagne was the libation of choice because French King Louis XVI wanted to show off his wines! This tradition continues to this day. Our pilot Pete said he has landed on farms in the Napa Valley CA, and gave champagne to the slightly irritated farmers.
Our pilot also shared this Irish Balloonist Prayer: The winds have welcomed you with softness The sun has blessed you with its warm hands You have flown so high and so well That God has joined you in laughter And set you gently back again Into the loving arms of Mother EarthHere we are with our balloon pilot Pete.During International Balloon Fiesta, Balloon Fiesta Park looks like a state fair!
