Albuquerque Official Visitors Guide - Spring 2008 - (Page 34)

hot air balloon capital of the world www.itsatrip.org/balloon Courtesy of Miscellaneous Publications T he sun rises to the sky, backlighting the Sandia Mountains in advance of the balloon. Most people come here, according to the pilot, a balloonist of 25 years, to fulfill lifelong hopes for a gentle sail into the high-desert air. The world’s most famous ballooning destination, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is home to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® every October, and the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum yearround. Visitors can bring their own balloons or reserve private hot-air balloon rides over the Rio Grande Valley any time of year, for any occasion. Passengers are invited to participate in the balloon inflation process alongside veteran pilots and crew members. The moment the bottom layer of the balloon lifts off the ground, swelling with the promise of flight, is a breathtaking moment. In the distance, other balloons are floating, gliding, moving up and down, as they seek the air currents that will carry them and their passengers with the wind. Passengers will feel the warmth from a visible orange flame, once the pilot switches from cold air to hot. As hot air meets cold air, the balloon will billow and rise. Balloon flight promises both adventure and tranquility. The high-desert, like ocean coastal areas, affords a neverending horizon and, from the vantage of a balloon, an even loftier surround-sound vista: the volcanoes, quiet like the air, sit patiently in the west; the Sandia Mountains punctuate the east with a changing display of colors through seasons and daylight. The Manzano Mountains beckon farther south with the possibility of hiking through shifting foliage—gold, amber and some interior mountain reds in the fall—and green in the spring and summer. Passengers may wonder what it feels like to actually pilot a balloon. Where does the pilot feel the movement of the wind? One pilot offers, “I feel it in my feet and I see it.” He describes the shifting horizon and the perspective that natural objects like the mountains offer in the distance, as they increase or decrease in size, as indicators of movement. The pilot also speaks about the wind. “My left cheek is cold, then all of a sudden, my right cheek is cold, and then I know that I am turning.” It can be a life-changing experience to see Albuquerque from the vantage of a balloon, an opportunity available to anyone with a dream, any time of year. albuquerque international balloon fiesta® Every year, during the month of October (October 4-12, 2008), the largest ballooning event in the world, fills the Albuquerque skies and Balloon Fiesta Park with a spectrum of energizing colors. Strolling the 78-acre launch field at Balloon Fiesta Park, visitors are immersed in the process of inflating, launching and landing balloons. anderson-abruzzo albuquerque international balloon museum Exhibits at the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, located next to the Fiesta launch field, offer the history, technology and art of the sport for avid historians and curious travelers year-round. wind patterns: the box effect The high rising mountains and nearby low valley create a phenomenon, called The Box, that offers balloon enthusiasts ideal wind patterns nearly every day of the year. The confluence of upper and lower winds moving in different directions allows balloons to move across the sky in one direction at one altitude and back again at another altitude, often landing close to initial launch sites. www.itsatrip.org 34 http://www.itsatrip.org/balloon http://www.itsatrip.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Albuquerque Official Visitors Guide - Spring 2008

Albuquerque Official Visitors Guide - Spring 2008 Contents Welcome to Albuquerque Visitor & Relocation Information Maps Cultural Conversations Pueblo Culture Arts What's New? Family Outings Calendar of Events Ballooning High Desert Golfing Birding in Albuquerque Outdoor Enthusiasm Albuquerque's Original Flavors Shopping Destinations Resource Directory of Marketing Partners Lodging Directory Virtual Ad Index

Albuquerque Official Visitors Guide - Spring 2008

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