Origins
Many may not know this, but I lived in Albuquerque on Kirtland Air Force Base. I was still in my early elementary school years, so I don’t remember much. But, I do remember the balloons in the sky. It was almost a daily thing that became so normal to me that I thought everyone experienced it. I only saw them from far away and thought they were such a cool decoration in the desert sky. I would always dream about what it was like to be up there. Not realizing it would become my reality 20+ years later.
In the past few years, I noticed an increase in postings about the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. I had moved away for the city in my youth and the idea of hot air balloons becoming the daily norm easily faded. Thanks to these postings, the idea re-entered my brain again. I figured I would attempt to go. I tried for several years, but something always found a way to come back up. It broke my heart knowing I couldn’t make it in 2023, even after doing everything possible in my power to go.
In 2024, I said absolutely nothing would stop me. That included me making sure I had work off, having my funds in order, and not getting sick. Since, I enjoy creating content for social media and having people join me on my adventures, I decided to apply for a media pass. A few weeks later, I got an email stating my media credentials were approved!
This Year Was the Year
I had already booked a one way non-refundable flight there to act as a way to stop me from ever backing out. Next, I sought out to book my hotel. I soon was reminded the woes of being a solo traveler because the prices made me go cross-eyes. That’s to be expected with any major event. I was shocked that even the motels were charging stiff numbers. I eventually found my spot to stay in. Although, I was told to take public transport, use a shuttle, or even ride share, I’m so glad I booked my own rental. I like to stop whenever and wherever I want. Car rentals prices were also absolutely nuts, but again I found a heck of a deal through Turo.
The day I flew in, was the day before the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was one of the biggest days and it would have been a bother to miss credential pick up time. I had only a few hours to pickup my credentials. With a few hours to spare, I got to my rental, checked into my hotel and drove to the other side of the city to the Balloon Fiesta Park. Credentialing closed at 5pm and I got there at 4:30. I drove back to my hotel to chill out in preparations for the following day. That night, I couldn’t fall asleep. I was excited, nervous, and didn’t know what to expect. I finally started to feel tired around midnight.
Showtime
My alarm blared off at 2am. It was finally time to do this. By 3:00am, I had hopped in my car and by 4:00am I was at the fiesta. A fifteen minute drive quickly turned into bumper to bumper traffic. Media was being offered hot air balloon rides, which was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had to get there as soon as possible to stand in the media line for hot air balloon rides. I parked my car and walked as fast as I could to the media tent. There were two others already there.
The media tent was not opening until 5:30, so it was time to get comfortable. When the tent opened, I wrote my name down and breathed a small sigh of relief. I knew that it was not guaranteed, as they were only doing four media rides the entire day. Factors were taken into consideration, such as: weight and number of days to be at the actual festival. I was only going to be at the festival for today only, so this was my only shot. They said they would call the chosen names at 6:30. I relaxed until this time. In the tent, they had chairs and a hot breakfast for us.
SIX THIRTY! The moment of truth was here! A woman working for the Fiesta walked up to me and said I was in! They said this would be the best opportunity to use the bathroom. I ran to the bathroom only to be met with another opponent: the bathroom lines. Hundreds and I mean, hundreds of people were in line. I waited and it was finally my turn. I was too close to urinating on myself. When I came out the bathroom, I looked at the clock: 7:02! I was supposed to be back by 7am to be picked up by the pilot. The panic set in, as I sprinted back to the media tent.
Did I miss my one chance?
When I arrived, everyone said, “Robin, we were looking for you! Where have you been? You went to the bathroom thirty minutes ago?” I explained the bathroom situation and everyone understood. They then told me that I was lucky because it was too windy and everyone was delayed. It still had not kicked in that I would be doing the Mass Ascension. I only knew I would be flying that day. They took me outside the tent and showed me my escorts to the pilots. They ran me through the fields and I arrived at my destination minutes later. As it was my first Balloon Fiesta, I didn’t know how any of this worked. I assumed there were several flights that day. I finally realized I, the little girl who would watch the balloons all the way from Kirtland Air Force Base, was going to fly today. This moment was pivotal for me!
I met the Captains and Crew of Wind Waker (based out of Diamondhead, Mississippi) and we waited for the sun to come over the mountains in hopes of better conditions. In no time, there was a green flag, saying it was time to fly! I watched everyone take their equipment out of trucks and within minutes I was surrounded by hundreds of balloons. I had no idea what the process was to piecing together a hot air balloon, but it was amazing. As the basket is being prepared and more and more fire brings air, the balloon enlarges and the basket becomes weightless. This required all of us to help hold it down. By 7:35, they told me to hop in along with Pilot Gary. His wife, Eileen was also a Pilot, but he would be flying today. It was going to be just the two of us. Within seconds, everyone let go of the basket and we slowly drifted off into the air. The sea of balloons above and below was like nothing I had ever seen before.
For the next hour, I saw Albuquerque in a new light thanks to this new perspective. We soared over the Rio Grande and houses. I could only stare in amazement at every which angle I turned. This reminded me how much of a natural place New Mexico was. From above, I could see gardens filled with cacti and horses gracefully galloping through their yards. I even saw llamas and turkeys. I wish I knew Albuquerque was this beautiful when I was young. This ride truly felt personal. Throughout the flight, the captain and I made conversation about how he started flying hot air balloons and interesting experiences. Turns out, that very day was his 30 year anniversary as a hot air balloon pilot. He was introduced by his now wife, Eileen, who is one of few female hot air ballooon pilots!
The basket was a lot smaller than the ones I was used to. The other ones I had been in were through commercial companies that dealt with hundreds of tourists daily, so each basket could carry around eight people. This basket could carry three, two comfortably. I got nervous at some moments adjusting my position because I felt the basket slightly move. I tried staying as still as possible or move strategically. Eventually, I was able to warm up and found something that worked for me.
Hospitality
It was now time to find a landing spot. We passed many properties with a large white ‘X.’ This is a blessing given from property owner to pilot saying, “It’s okay to land here.” It took several attempts to land, as there were so many animals. Many of the animals hear a different frequency from the hot air balloons and easily get spooked. Nearly every time we would descend, an animal would appear forcing us to go back up.
We finally found a good enough spot. Throughout this, many families were sitting on their porches watching the fiesta in the comforts of their own yards. One family in particular was the definition of hospitality. Because we had to keep changing potential landing spots, the on ground crew had to maneuver the streets in a van. We landed before they could get to us. I never would have guessed we would land in someone’s driveway, but we did. The property owners came out to assist. You must remember this is New Mexico, so hot air balloons landing in random neighborhoods is a casual thing. They helped add weight to the the basket, deflate the balloon, and load the van. They even offered their bathrooms and fruit. We stayed there just shy of an hour, swapping stories and having a good laugh.
Although, it wasn’t my first time in a hot air balloon, today would be the day I would be “christened” into hot air ballooning properly. The pilots said a special pilot’s prayer over me before spraying me with champagne! We all drank the rest of the champagne before parting ways and heading back to the fiesta. By this time, it was already 11:30am. I didn’t realize how much time had gone by and I had no idea the fiesta closed around noon. I figured it was an all day experience with pilots constantly going up and down After experiencing the full process, I was able to understand the effort that went into it and how multiple flights would be strenuous. When I arrived back at the Fiesta Grounds, everything was closed except for some overpriced food stands. I decided to deal with the hunger and take a nap in the car while I waited for the remainder of the exiting traffic to die down.
Because of my perfect experience flying in the hot air balloon, I felt hopeful. I decided to give Whataburger another try. I previously tried it in Texas and thought it was the most awful creation on earth. This time around, it gave me life. I don’t know if it was the extreme hunger or fatigue but it was Michelin star worthy that day. Even now, I think it tasted better than In-N-Out! As I finished the last of my burger in the hotel room, I passed out for 8 hours. I woke up at midnight. The early hours, blaring sun, and “itis” all caught up to me and I had the best sleep ever. When I woke up, I thought I had dreamt it all. I had to check my phone to make sure it was real. The little girl who once watched from afar got her wish. And that absolutely thrilled me.