Arizona Sunset

 

Back home at North Ranch

We are back at our lot in North Ranch, Congress, AZ. We are home for the winter! Except for a few short trips, we will be staying here until next April. Gotta love those beautiful Arizona sunsets. The weather has been very warm...in the 80's. Life is good! 

The "Bees"

It's Sunday morning...it rained last night and we thought the balloons would not go up since the sky was still gray and overcast, but about 8am they started to go up. I got this great shot of the "bees" balloons. The pilots of these two balloons are really good. They are able to maneuver them into different positions like this one. It is fun to watch them. 

This may be it

We woke up to clouds and a little wind this morning. It was suppose to be a Mass Ascension this morning with all 700+ balloons going up, but this is about all that made it up. Thunderstorms are predicted today and tomorrow morning so I doubt that the night glow and fireworks will happen this evening and if it is raining tomorrow morning they won't go up. We will wait and see...but in any case we leave tomorrow morning for Deming, NM. to the SKP park there. We will stay there until Tuesday morning before traveling to Columbus, NM for a Ch 21 SKP rally. Life is good!

Jim, Cheryl and Ed heading into the field area

Last night we went over to the launch field to view the Special Shape Glowdeo. This is where they tether and inflate the balloons, then ignite the burners after it gets dark and "light up" the balloons and the sky with brilliant colors. There were thousands of people there and it is a great sight to see. We got to wander around the field amoung the balloons. At the end of the evening they had a fireworks show. They do this 4 nights of the week long fiesta. 

Special Shape Glowdeo

 

Albuquerque Sunset

As we were waiting for the bus shuttle to take us to the balloon field last evening, I was able to catch this fantastic sunset. 

Here comes the "Sun"

It is hard to believe that these shape balloons can fly...some are so huge. We have had great weather. The winds have been very favorable and the balloons have come over this field and right over our motorhome. Life is Great!!! 

The "Eagle" has landed.

 

They came right over us today

Today was another great balloon watching day...they came right over us. WOW! This one was so close that I didn't even use telephoto to get this shot. 

Special Shape Rodeo

This morning we enjoyed the special shaped balloons. Here are just a few of the many that went up. We were not as fortunate as yesterday morning and most of them did not fly over our camping area. I did have the opportunity to help land the panda balloon that you see in this picture. I was walking Max and when I looked up the panda balloon was coming down. They waved at me and motioned that they wanted me to come over...well, Max was looking for a "spot" and I didn't go over to the balloon immediately. Then they yelled that they needed my help (weight) to keep the balloon on the ground. I ran over ( and so did 3 other people). We held on to the balloon and "walked" it to an area large enough to safely lay it down. Fun, fun, fun! 

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2006

 

When Pigs can fly and Airabella the cow

Out motorhome is just out of the picture on the right side. You can see how big Airabella the cow balloon is, sitting there next to the motorhomes and 5th wheels. The back side of When Pigs Can Fly balloon is sitting next to Airabella.

Balloons, Balloons, Balloons

This one landed right in front of our motorhome...We got to chat with the pilot and get up close and personal with the balloon. WOW 

7:00am wake up call

We woke to the sounds of hot air balloons. I got up and looked out the window and they were coming down all around us. We have been getting rain here the past few days but today the sky is clear and beautiful. Life is good!

Waterclock at Royal Gorge

We arrived in Colorado Springs yesterday and decided to spend today on a whirlwind tour of the area. We visited the Royal Gorge, Cripple Creek and the Garden of the Gods. The pictures I took at the Garden of the Gods weren't that good since we got there late in the day and the lighting was not very good for pictures of Pikes Peak and the beautiful red rock formations. Tomorrow we travel to Sante Fe for another couple of nights and then on to Albuquerque, NM for the Balloon Fiesta on the 10th. Life is Good. 

Royal Gorge

 

Royal Gorge

I took this picture from the bridge...looking down at the Arkansas River over 1000 feet below. 

Royal Gorge

We went to see the Royal Gorge today. Here Ed is standing in front of the world's highest suspension bridge. It was build in 1929. 1,260 feet long, 18 feet wide and towers 1053 feet above theArkansas River.

Pikes Peak

We were just north of Colorado Springs when I took this picture of Pikes Peak. 

Fall colors

We are on the road in southeast Wyoming when I took this picture yesterday. We are headed to New Mexico.