Rio Travelers

Sunday, October 7, 2012

ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FIESTA

WELCOME TO THE 2013 ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA. WE ARRIVED HERE LAST TUESDAY AND STARTED PREPARATIONS TO WELCOME OUR GUESTS. WE HAVE 48 RVS 101 GUESTS FROM ALL OVER THE US AND CANADA. OUR RALLY IS A VERY SMALL PART OF THE 2200 RVS IN ATTENDANCE. AS USUAL WE HAVE FOOD AND SNACKS. YESTERDAY WAS THE FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF THE FIESTA HOWEVER THE WINDS DID NOT COOPERATE SO THE BALLOONS DID NOT FLY. WE DID HAVE ONE THAT COLD INFLATED AS A STATIC DISPLAY. LATER ON THE WIND CALMED DOWN AND WE DID HAVE FIREWORKS. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE HIGH WINDS THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT SO EVERYONE THOUGHT TODAY LAUNCH WOULD ALSO BE SCRAPED. WRONG, WE WOKE UP TO A BEAUTIFUL CALM MORNING SE THE PICTURES BELOW. WE WERE TOLD THEY EXPECTED 650 BALLOONS TODAY. IT WAS A LOT BUT I DON'T THINK IT WAS THAT MANY.

THE DAWN PATROL GOES UP EACH MORNING BEFORE THE MASS ASCENSION TO CHECK CURRENT WIND CONDITIONS. THEY THEN ILLUMINATE FOR A SHOW

THE MASS ASCENTION STARTS

GROWS

AND GROWS

NEW BALLOON ELVIS

THE ELEPHANT

THESE BALLOONS STILL ON THE GROUND WAITING FOR THERE TURN TO TAKE OFF. THIS IS ONLY LIKE THE END ZONE OF THE HUGH FIELD

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

CAMP VERDE AND FAREWELL FOR TOUR

The last stop on our tour was in Sedona and it was a busy one. We started out with a full day bus trip that took us to some more Puebloan ruins at Montezuma's Castle and Tuzigoot which are both National monuments. We then drove up to Jerome, an old mining town in the mountains above Sedona, for lunch and shopping and then through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. The area is beautiful and, since it has more greenery, different than the parks of southern Uttah.

Our last full day together was a "free" day until our farewell dinner so several of us decided to do a "Pink Jeep Tour" of the Sedona area. This is a tour that had been recommended by family (my sister Barbara) and friends (Paula and Nick) and it was as great as they had said. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the area and went as far as saving a trantula from being run over by a jeep. Being from the flatlands of Long Island, New Jersey and Floida, I was not experienced in off-road jeeping and had no idea that jeeps can travel at 45 degree angles up and down rocks. We had a great time!

So we got cleaned up and a bit more dressed up for our last dinner together. I think we can safely say that we had a great trip and made some new friends. We made promises to have a reunion and will be traveling with several in the future - some to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque next week and some on later trips.