A lot of wind…but not much hot air!

Monday, October 3, 2016

We got up this morning at the normal time…4:30 am when the helicopters start circling over the balloon field.   The RV’s are parked so close to the field you can hear the helicopters above.  We’ve been riding our bikes to the field which saves time, and we’ve found a coffee booth with short lines, so we were rearing to go for another balloon launch.  But, everything was on hold.  The dawn patrol which normally launches before dawn to check the conditions didn’t even go up this morning. The winds were blowing toward the mountains, which is not conducive for balloon flying, because there is no place to land.    After the sun came up, the officials decided to cancel all balloon events scheduled for today…so sad!  Some of the balloons went ahead and inflated, but nobody took off.  (We did find out that you don’t “blow up” balloons, you inflate them!!)  The “That-A-Way” crew signed the trailer that was painted up with a clever mural. 

We went to Old Town in the heart of Albuquerque.  It was lined with interesting shops and street vendors, and musicians performing on every corner.  There is a 300 year old church in the middle of the square, and an interesting gnarled tree in the courtyard, with a statue inside. 

We got really excited when we saw the RV from Breaking Bad parked around the corner.  The tv series (one of our favorites) was filmed in New Mexico, and a company provides a tour, while riding around in the rv, visiting the spots where filming occured—we didn’t have time (it takes 3 hours) but it sure would be fun to see Walter White’s house!   

 

I think I’m obsessed with license plates!  Or, maybe I just enjoy smiling when I see these clever quips!  Here are some I found in this parking lot!