Day 8 – Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Set your alarm for 0'Dark Thirty this morning. We are off to the
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. On arrival at the Balloon
Field, we will begin looking into the morning sky to see if the
Dawn Patrol is up in the air. These 5-6 hot air balloons ascend
into the early dawn sky to check the weather conditions. As they
light up in the dark, they look like twinkling rainbow lights above
your head. We will have time once we are on the field to enjoy the
many arts and crafts booths before the ceremonies begin. Breakfast
is included on the field this morning in the exclusive Chaser's
Club lounge area. You can eat breakfast and watch the Balloons at
the same time, but remember, this is a participatory event. You do
not want just to stand on the sidelines and look. You can walk onto
the field, talk to the balloonists, take pictures of the balloons
as they are filled with cold air, then propane and then as they
slowly inflate until the referees in the striped shirts (zebras we
call them) tell each balloonist that they can lift off. There could
be as many as 600 balloons in the air this morning! It is an event
of a lifetime.
After the balloons leave the field, we depart for a tour of
Albuquerque. We stop at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
Museum for a tour and the ceremonial dances that are performed
during the Fiesta time. Then, it is off to Old Town for festivities
and lunch on your own. We return to our hotel to rest before
returning to the Balloon Fiesta for the Night Glow, when the
balloons stay on the ground and inflate and illuminate on the
field. Dinner is on your own at one of the food booths. We return
to our hotel after the fireworks show. Overnight Albuquerque,
NM.
Includes
