"Hot Air V" Balloon Fiesta Rally
Oct. 3-6, 2008
Arriving Friday afternoon at the Roadtrek rally, we found a long line
of Roadtreks parked along the edge of the balloon landing field. If the
weather is favorable, we should have front row seats for a lot of the
action.
The potluck dinner the first night had a Hawaiian theme. Leis had been
sewn for us to wear, so we could get into the festive spirit. Since
this dry camping, a tent had been rented to serve as the meeting
and meal center for the rally.
The potluck dinner was a great success, with a large variety of dishes, and plenty to go around.
The mass ascension on Saturday morning, which is the official start of
the Balloon Fiesta, was really impressive, when 600 balloons took to
the skies. Click here to see
more photos of the ascension. The launch field was about a mile north.
We hoped that the balloons would land on the landing field in
front of our Roadtreks, but the winds were to the north, so they went
the other way. But seeing the mass ascension was really a treat.
After the mass ascension, Wendell Nunes held a "bootcamp" for
Roadtrekkers. While the session as advertised to be for newbies, with
the collective expertise present, there were also plenty of good tips
for experienced Roadtrekkers. Wendell refers to himself as "Mr.
Colorful", which he certainly is, as evidenced by the shirt he is
wearing.
The weather started to change Saturday afternoon; by evening it was
starting to rain, so we all huddled inside the tent for dinner, which
was hosted by Vantastic Vans, the local Roadtrek dealer. Thanks to them
for a very good meal. The rain caused the "Glow" scheduled for that
evening to be cancelled. It rained most of the night and into the next
morning, so the mass ascension on Sunday morning was also cancelled. In
fact, some parts of Albuquerque received more than two inches of rain
that night, which is more than the total rainful for all of September.
With the day's balloon events being cancelled, it was time to find
something else to do. I headed for the Balloon Museum, which was a
short walk from the rally site. The museum was very interesting, and
the docent giving the tour was really excellent. Since she was also a
hot air balloon pilot, she knew her stuff.
What was completely new to me was the Japanese Fugo balloon; the
payload is shown here. About ten thousand Fugo balloons were launched
by the Japanese as an attack against the US. The balloons were launched
from Japan during the winter of 1944-1945; after rising into the jet
stream they were carried westward. The balloons carried anti-personnel
weapons and incendiary materials in an attempt to start forest fires.
The U.S., with the cooperation of the media, maintained silence about
the balloons, so the Japanese figured that the balloons weren't making
it to the U.S. and terminated the project, concluding that it was a
failure. However, about one thousand balloons did make it to the U.S.,
although the timing was wrong for starting massive forest fires, since
the forests are wet with rain and snow in the wintertime.
The afternoon dried up enough for the Glow on Sunday evening to take place.
Sunday evening Glow and fireworks
Monday morning flying competition
The rally ended Monday about noon, so we headed home. Many thanks to
the rallymasters, Jim and Sharon Koch, and Walt and Jo Ratcliff for a
very nice, and unique, rally. We enjoyed it thoroughly. If we do it
again, we will stay longer next time, just in case the weather doesn't
cooperate.