10/13/07: Day 4: Early day in Albuquerque to short drive to Acoma
Here's an overview map, but it's not very interesting:
Trip overview from Saint Louis to Acoma, New Mexico cropped from maps.Google.com
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We got up at 5:15, made in-room coffee, and headed out at 6:00. We drove quickly the first 5 miles toward the Balloon Fiesta Park. The last couple of miles were stop-and-creep with 4 lanes of access road redirected to flow toward balloon parking. There was one test balloon up, periodically glowing yellow in the dark sky. Some balloons were already up when we parked at 6:45. But we watched the next few hundred rise. And the sun, too.
If you are tired of balloon pictures (like from my pictures of the Great Forest Park Balloon Race), you still may enjoy these with my captions. This is 10 times the balloon event as the one back home (literally, 750 vs. 75).
Much to her amazement, Karen took some of the best shots. The ones she took are noted (and they are BILD series (the German word for picture) as opposed to my P1040's)
Stuck in traffic in Albuquerque at 6:30 in the morning, unlike those guys up there. Note the one balloon glowing.
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Sunrise from the parking lot. The sky begins to glow.
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Dan and the fence around the balloon grounds in the groggy morning.
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Early Risers as seen on the walk toward the entrance to the Balloon Fiesta field
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The downwind end of the balloon field with concessionaire tents.
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Glowing balloon and sky, other bags are roaring to roundness
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Lighthouse lays down. The hills are starting to catch the sun
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Choosing up sides?
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Vertical and horizontal fire in nylon bags
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Barnyard shenanigans overhead. Got an umbrella?
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The first balloons reach up to the sun
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She looks relieved. Gas? This balloon is actually an angel, with wigs sticking out the back.
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Ladybug aloft
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Having a good autumn, but not a great fall!
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Parking lot as full as the sky
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The only way to travel, but where's the horse?
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Ahrgh, matey!
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Yes, pigs fly.
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These kids kept staring up, open mouthed, twirling, and squealing with joy. No one minds. Behind our adult reserve, we all are!The sun is blocked by Dan-fingers to allow this shot.
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Lighthouse aloft. You saw it half-flat on the ground several pictures back.
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Close dancing bees (pic by Karen)
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Crowded skys around Smokey the Bear (arguably the cause of our national wildfire problems).Pic by KJ
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Dancing bees about to part ways
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Hundreds of Balloons over the parking lot
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Balloon launching is not effortless
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Another view of the puller, holding a balloon approximately still as it fills.
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Karen (second from the left) taking pictures. Trader Joe's passes her by. Notice how she likes the cliff edge?
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Pullers come in close as buoyancy rises
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Balloons against the mountains
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A nice overview of the festival by Karen
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Photographers on the ridge at the north end of the field. Note the long shadow of the kneeling photographer in the foreground.
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Karen shoots for the sky
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Unknown photographer ignores the big house
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Nice use of fractals passing overhead. One is heating and the other cooling as they try to stay together.
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Photographers and observers and a goofy balloon
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Karen takes another picture, wearing the hat she got for free on our honeymoon. This hat was lost this day. Very sad.
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Karen shot this cat and elephant pair
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Honda advertises its innovation via the Asimo robot, named for Asimov, the author. Another of Karen's shots that I preferred to my own.
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As that brick passed overhead, the crowd cheered. No one will catch this crowd flagging in its patriotic spirit.
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Inverted pyramid balloon. There's always something different.
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These blow-hards are not fans of mine. They blew right past me.
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Karen and the shadow of her husband shoot balloons.
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Wacky tree was a latecomer.
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Chainsaw art was a major part of this festival. Guess who was a major sponsor?
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Whew! We got back to the hotel exhausted.
Our Albuquerque hotel on Route 66. This Econolodge was quite nice.
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We packed up and got out by noon, our extended checkout deadline. We had lunch in the Old Town. Mexican food. Karen's aches from her fall were acting up, and I was surly and tired. But we walked around a bit.
We spent some time and had lunch in the Old Town. I was impressed by this use of a laminated beam as a power-pole. There probably are no more lodgepole pines in this area for this use.
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Karen will chat with anybody
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Checking her Nike's?
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Sculptures of different eras
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Finally, we hit the road and decided to stop at the Acoma Pueblo and get some rest. We had a nap before unloading the car! Karen never naps; that's how tired we were.
I spent a couple of hour writing up the Third day, and then we turned in.
View from our room in the Indian Casino at the Acoma Pueblo
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View of our room at the Acoma Casino
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Day 5 began with my spending three hours sifting through the massive amount of pictures, and presenting Day 4. Maybe I don't understand the idea of a vacation.