Sunset, Benson, Arizona

Sunset, Benson, Arizona

Hatch, New Mexico

Hatch grows the famous chiles, and we had to visit and buy some for our freezer. The town has some interesting sights, including a restaurant with a host of statues around it. One of the statues shows a bride and groom chile.

After our visit, we had lunch at the Arrey Cafe, Arrey, New Mexico. Sandi had a huge burrito!

Last Night Fireworks

The last night of Balloon Fiesta, October 10, had the finale fireworks show. Managed to grab some photos.

Balloon Ascensions, 10 October 2015

The best ascensions took place the morning of the 10th. Hundreds of balloons were launched, and with a freshening wind, many of them came over our RV and some landed in front of us. Some landed in the dirt road just behind our RV, and we rushed out to help the pilot, lest their balloon hit us.

One of the following images shows three balloons colliding (fortunately softly) in the winds.

Learning to Crew for a Hot Air Balloon

We spent the early morning at an elementary school in Albuquerque, as our pilot walked us through all the steps to prepare and inflate his hot air balloon. After the children got to watch the process, we learned how to take down and pack up the balloon.

Albuquerque Balloon Festival

We are here for the next 2 weeks. There are already balloons in the air (Oct 1), and we hope to work with the pilots on some over the next several days.

Meanwhile, the views in the morning are spectacular.