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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Nite Lights! The Glowdeo!

The one thing I noticed after a few days at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, is that the crews of the individual balloons have a sense of humor. For instance, these Storm Troopers, and other characters, were the crew for Darth Vader.







I saw this lovely lady and asked to take her photo. She replied, "Sure! We're all dressed like this! We're the crew for the pink elephant! Come on down to see us!"







And this adorable gentleman was the pilot of the hen balloon.





Obviously these ladies were part of his crew.




As the sun slowly slipped out of the sky, balloons started to pop up all over the field (which is the size of 6 football fields put together!) It was amazing to see the shapes taking form. Local news choppers were flying above covering the event. I bet that was a sight to see!



The balloons were tethered, but to stay upright, had to intermittently have a shot of gas. Some of the larger balloons were having problems staying afloat. Here's one of the Wells Fargo Stagecoach that is just about touching the ground. You can see the people walking around the "wheels" of the stagecoach - it was that low! Airabelle, the cow, was low, too. We had to walk through her legs! LOL!




As dusk approached, we could see the balloons light up.







Some balloons weren't translucent enough to light up; you would only see the light of the fire. I love the silhouette of Noah's Ark against the recent sunset.




Before we knew it, the sky had darkened completely. Then we could REALLY see the balloons!







You cannot believe the heat that comes off of these flames when the pilot pulls on the metal rung that releases the gas. That flame shoots up so high into the balloon!



The announcer on the P.A. system would call out an "all burn", then count down from 10. When it got down to 1, then he'd say, "ALL BURN!" The park would light up with 80+ balloons, their flames shooting high!





Sometimes the announcer would call out "Flicker", and count down from 10. When he got to 1, then he'd say, "FLICKER!" All the balloons would flicker on and off.





The show ended with fireworks. We already were leaving the park at that point. I shot this photo out of our moving truck. I kind of like the effects, don't you?




My next post is of the mass ascension - over 700 balloons taking off one after another. That will be my last post on the Balloon Fiesta. I hope your not "ballooned-out"!

15 comments:

Kathy's Klothesline said...

Loved all the balloons! I am "peopled" out! We were absolutely full this weekend-- first big weekend of Octoberfest. I was parking rigs in any spot I could cram them in. All except one "gentleman" who decided to be nasty. He was refunded and bid farewell. This balloon extravaganza is my treat after a long hard weekend!

Kathy's Klothesline said...

Loved all the balloons! I am "peopled" out! We were absolutely full this weekend-- first big weekend of Octoberfest. I was parking rigs in any spot I could cram them in. All except one "gentleman" who decided to be nasty. He was refunded and bid farewell. This balloon extravaganza is my treat after a long hard weekend!

Brian Miller said...

wicked cool. love hot air balloons though never riden in ne. have to add that to my list...

Carletta said...

How utterly wonderful!
I knew of the festival but had no idea this night 'lighting' took place.
Awesome shots Pat!

Carletta said...

I forgot to add that your shot of the fireworks almost looks like little tiny balloons all bunched up. :)

Sunny said...

I am loving your balloon posts. So much fun! Great pictures.
Sunny :)

Rae said...

They have all been great. I enjoyed the festival. That fireworks shot is so interesting and unusual. It turned out really nice.

Nancy said...

Wonderful. Wow, the balloons have become so elaborate! Thanks for taking us along.

An Open Heart said...

Spectacular! Your photos are great. What fun. I can't wait to see the acension!

'til tomorrow......


S

SquirrelQueen said...

This is so much fun, I am enjoying every photo. The Nite Glow is spectacular, it had to be so exciting to see it in person.

The fireworks photo is so cool, I love the effect.

Anonymous said...

What great photos. Absolutely loved the storm troopers. You're lucky to get to travel and see all these things.

for a different kind of girl said...

What beautiful views. I love hot air balloons so much, and whenever a random one floats by around here in the spring, the boys and I all yell for each other when we spot it. They would definitely be enthralled with the Darth Vader balloon!

Mrs.C said...

I have enjoyed your posts about the balloons. And the pictures are so amazing. It's like as cyber vacation for me.

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Pat: You got some fabulous shots there - I especially liked the last 5 or 6 - and the camera effects from the fireworks shot are intriguing. Must have been a fun day!

Betty Manousos said...

I enjoed your post.
Amazing picks!
hugs hugs