Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta 10/7/2013

Adventure Caravans Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Rally Day 4

Monday, October 7, 2013

It was another great day for Ballooning here in Albuquerque.  Today, there were contests for the balloonists who wanted to participate.  Of course, there were a lot of pilots who just wanted to ride in the "box".  Albuquerque has interesting air currents that allow the balloons to lift off, float in one direction (south over our trailers) for awhile then rise to a higher altitude to catch a current going north.  They continue north as far as they want then drop altitude and fly south again.  We tried taking a movie of that, but they move so slowly that it is difficult to capture the effect on a movie.  We have taken so many pictures that I can not decide which to pick to put into the blog.  I think that I will try to just feature some of the ones that I haven't shown yet.


Panda



Sushi the fish



Betty Jean the butterfly

Yellow Jacket (See the stinger)






The Bee Family
(L-R Lilly Little, Joey Little and Joelly)

After the balloon mass ascension, we were taken, by bus, to Sandia Peak.  We took a tram tide to the top of the mountain for some spectacular views of Albuquerque and the surrounding valleys.  The tram starts at the altitude of 6559 feet and goes to 10,378 ft. in about 15 min. 

Here comes our tram

All along the way up we saw some beautiful scenery.


This formation looks like a cannon 

We are about to pass the other tram

The cabin on the top of the mountain was made to
 house the workers building the tram

The fall colors are beautiful

 After we reached the top of the mountain, We had lunch at the High Finance Restaurant.  The food was very good and the view was beautiful.  The restaurant is shaped in a semi-circle with seats in three levels surrounding this area and windows all around.

Center piece of High Finance Restaurant

There was time after lunch to walk around and look out over the valley.  There is a ski lift on the opposite side of the mountain from the tram where hikers and mountain bikers were using trails that are along the ski trails.  We could see the town below but pictures didn't do it justice.

After we got back to camp, there was a Margaritas and nachos social. 

The staff are having making Margaritas

Tomorrow is another active day of touring.