Albuquerque International Balloon Fest - Part 2

October 10, 2008, Friday - Part 2

We stood talking to the people around us and it turned out that they were "locals" - and were *very* friendly and helpful in making suggestions about how to experience the Festival - and Albuquerque - suggesting a few restaurant picks as well. Actually, this was the first of our many experiences with New Mexican's: every single person we encountered in New Mexico - was REALLY nice. Genuinely friendly and wanting to help. By the time we got to Santa Fe (our next stop) we were seriously considering moving there - and a large incentive was the people.

After "breakfast" (donuts) we wandered thru the crafts tent, then over to look at the Chain Saw Carving event going on. They gave each of 5 contestants a big log to start. A BIG log:

That's one of the logs standing next to me. I am 6 feet tall. A BIG log! Note also behind me - the dolphin sculpture of a previous competition.

Then each contestant had 2 days to carve it into something representing "Launching Dreams" - this year's theme. The artists primarily used "outdoor power tools": chain saws, routers, sanders, etc. One of the guys had at least *7* different chain saws lined up - and the creations were real works of art - but more about that later.

Since Balloons only fly at dawn, we had the rest of the day to figure out what to do with ourselves. We went back to the hotel and tried the hot tub (too hot at 105 deg), and the pool, then headed out to "Old Town" - a delightful shopping area where we again (like in Sedona) - just wandered around, hand-in-hand "shopping but not buying". There was an adobe bench in a courtyard in one area there:

And they are QUITE serious about their Chile's in Albuquerque:
And there's a beautiful old church there - showing off the typical Adobe. I just LOVE the texture of the adobe everywhere. It looks like a cross between leather and chocolate! Then it was time to run back to "Balloon Fiesta Park" for the evening activities. We didn't have any trouble getting into the parking area or into the grounds - and we just set up our camp chairs (collapsable chairs) - see? we got smart from the morning! - and watched the carvers. While we were there, they did a "quick carve" competition. They were given a rectangular board and 1 hour - to make a "Fish". And we got to watch them transform mere "wood" - into fish - in an hour. Representative sample:

And, by the way, here is how one of the big sculptures looked after about 24 hours - with another day to go. Remember that this started off as one of those logs:

Ghandi - complete with scroll. Just amazing!

We wandered back thru the vendor booths and - well - we pigged out on "Fair Food": brats and roasted corn-on-the-cob and funnel cake and a "porkchop on a stick" and gooey cinnamon rolls. Oh WOW! Not exactly "health food" - but VERY satisfying as we sat on our camp chairs and waited for the "Glowdeo" - the evening event where they tether the balloons and just light them up in the night air - not launching.

As we waited, we talked to a couple near us - from Washington - the opposite corner of the US. Nice folk and photographers - so we tried to learn from them.

Ultimately, it was revealed that because of the high winds, there would be no "Glowdeo" - but they *did* launch the planned fireworks - and they even had a few that impressed *me* (really sparkly ones) - and I've seen a LOT of fireworks. Good job!

So. We packed into "Monroe" and made our way back to the hotel - and crashed - knowing that the alarm was set for 5AM again. And we hoped that the weather would get better.

A GREAT day - again.

3607 miles total so far.