Oct 12 Albuquerque, #2

After the morning ascension we would have liked nothing better than to go the hotel and take a nap.  But since we were checking into a hotel not far from the balloon grounds, the room wouldn't be available until 3pm.  The balloons had pretty much finished their morning flights by 10am, so we needed to find something else to do.  We did think about just falling asleep in the car but the old adage, "You're on vacation, you can sleep when you get home" came into play.

So we went to Old Town Albuquerque, downtown.  There are a few old buildings, including the church.  But it was mostly vendors selling Indian jewelry, pottery, and rugs, as well as tourist staples like food, ice cream and fudge.

 The highlight was Cynthia talking to a WWII veteran Navajo Code Talker.  He was selling and signing books, and is one of the few code talkers still alive. 

 After lunch we went further afield, and visited one of the units of Petroglyph National Monument.

 The symbols were etched up to 700 years ago.

 That killed enough time that we could check in to the hotel.  But shortly it was time for the evening Glowdeo (a portmanteau of glow and rodeo).  The festivities were opened by a parachute team (who jumped from a propeller plane, and not a balloon).

 We did eat dinner at the Fiesta.  There was a typical state fair midway with food outlets and tourist items.  While we were dining on the grass waiting for the Glow to begin we watched the balloon judges and safety officers (who are called "zebras" for their attire) interact with the crowd.  The zebras try to keep people and balloons safe during the event, and seemed to do a good job.

 The evening Glowdeo

 Mother Nature was not about to be outdone by burning propane.

 The Friday Glowdeo was for Special Shapes, as well as normal round balloons.

 The Glowdeo lasted about an hour.  Once it was well underway, the announcers would occasionally countdown to an "ALL BURN" where every balloon would fire their burner for 10-15 seconds. 

 There was a fireworks show after the glow.  It opened with the parachute team jumping from the plane and firing fireworks as they descended.

 The fireworks show was OK, but years of Disney have spoiled me.  There was no music, the timing was off, and while there was a finale of sorts, it just sort of tapered off rather than ending with a big bang.  But it was a great day and the balloons are awesome!