Oct 21st, 2023 Saturday Cloudy
In mid-October, my husband and I took a long-anticipated vacation to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Albuquerque is by no means a city hyped up as a tourist location. I hope to finish checking out all fifty states in the US one day, so I need a reason to visit New Mexico, a state I knew very little about. And this reason came very easily – Albuquerque holds the largest hot air balloon fiesta in the world every year, right around the time when we are looking to take a break from work. Moreover, this year, an annular solar eclipse, also known as the “ring of fire”, will pass through in Albuquerque, and the balloon fiesta park is a perfect viewing spot.
It seems that fate has destined us to go to Albuquerque, so there we came!
Ballooning is a sport highly dependent on weather. While in theory a hot air balloon can fly in less than ideal weather (50 – 60 F, sunny, no wind) if needed , hobbyists who spend their own money to fly balloons are usually excused from sending their balloons into the air, or even inflating their balloons, if the weather is not favorable. By the time we booked our travels and made our itinerary, it was impossible to predict the weather that far in advance, so we crossed our fingers that on the very day we planned to see the mass ascension in the morning (and stay for the solar eclipse a couple hours later), the weather would cooperate.
Fortunately, our wishes were granteded. The dawn patrol event, where a few volunteer balloons lighted up and rose into the sky before dawn to have a feel for the weather conditions, went smoothly. This is an indication that the mass ascension (all balloons going into the air) is good to go.
And finally, after listening to a solemn national anthem in the speaker when five airplanes flew by in a formation, the hot air balloons began rising, one by one, sometimes a few at the same time. We were surrounded by over six hundred beautifully designed canvas bubbles, and over time most of them went into the clear blue sky, drifting in the gentle morning breeze, completing their yearly performance.
Contrary to popular beliefs, hot air balloons do not climb the altitude in a straight line. The wind in different heights tend to blow in opposite directions, so the balloons would ride the wind in one direction as they were taking off, and once higher up, ride the wind in the opposite direction to move across. After enough air time, they descend with the help of the lower draft, and land in roughly the same place where they started.
What is the point of this journey then?
The point of a journey is not defined by the starting and ending points. Instead, it is the experience in between that makes the journey worthwhile. The lucky (and reasonably well-off) passengers who enjoyed the balloon ride got to see the landscape from a brand-new perspective, and the “drivers” of the balloons got to embrace the open freedom of flying, for a moment, beyond the limits of daily life on the ground. Those of us watching shared the excitement, the inspiration, and the childlike joy of marveling over the spectacular sight.
That, I think, is the charm of this fiesta. It is a reminder of the fun, the enchantment in life that adults may often forget or neglect among the chores of every day.
Maybe some day we will want to ride a hot air balloon too 🙂