Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Kevin Means

Site Team
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Posts
5,119
Location
Hereford, Arizona
We're meeting some friends at the annual balloon fiesta next month - our first time. Just decided to go, so they only had sites available in the Standard section - no hookups (OK with us.) Was wondering if anyone else was going to be there.

Kev
 
We live in Rio Rancho (suburb).  While not planning on attending this year, about once every 3-4 years we go down and camp at the field for a few day and enjoy the balloons.  I've been down on that field with every form of transport they have  - - and by FAR, RV is the way to go.

Sign up for the TXT message service, you can lay in bed and watch your phone to know if they are going up or not.  If yes, crawl out and hop on the shuttle.  If no, roll over and catch a few more ZZZ's :)

Love the Balloon Fiesta!

-Chak
 
We went a couple of years ago with Escapees. We were there for about 12 days and had a great time. The balloons were great and we made many new friends.
 
The first three mornings we were there we got up at 5:30am to be down on the field to watch the balloons go up. My DW was volunteering to be crew hoping for a ride. On the fourth morning we decided to sleep in. Not! The balloons were up and flying right over the campground. The sound of the propane inflating the balloons was so loud we just jumped out of bed and joined everyone else watching the balloons from just outside their rig. Some people would bring a chair and set up right outside the Escapees mess tent and watch from there. Many times balloons would land in the campground field. Campers would run out and help them stabilize balloon until the crew could get there to pack it up and load onto the truck. My DW is in the purple jacket.
 

Attachments

  • DSCN0151-r1.JPG
    DSCN0151-r1.JPG
    322.3 KB · Views: 51
  • DSCN0154.JPG
    DSCN0154.JPG
    185.1 KB · Views: 47
  • DSCN0113-r1.JPG
    DSCN0113-r1.JPG
    180.1 KB · Views: 49
  • DSCN0127.JPG
    DSCN0127.JPG
    178.5 KB · Views: 49
Here's a shot of the fiesta in February, 1972, when it was still held at the fairgrounds in Albuquerque. If I recall correctly, that was the first one.
 

Attachments

  • Bill_MaryAnnBalloon1.jpg
    Bill_MaryAnnBalloon1.jpg
    82.5 KB · Views: 44
Looks spectacular!!

You must have been a young child then Larry!

Are there any other good balloon festivals anywhere else earlier in the year worth going to out West?
 
We went last year. Rolled into town with absolutely no plans or reservations day before start. Saw a Cracker Barrel and parked there. Turned out to be very close to festival. Up at 3:30 am and in traffic jam to festival grounds. Great time. Couldn?t believe you could rub shoulders with balloon launchers and go anywhere you wanted.
We then moved to the large Casino across interstate from festival. Stayed in their parking lot (with many others) for next four days. Able to view balloons every morning and if wind was right, they came right over us. Very nice casino. Clean, good food, great staff, and no alcohol. Huge parking area. They also had a large craft show going on that the DW enjoyed very much.
Free casino parking turned out to be very expensive for us, but hey, might have won.
 
I used to work at a company that was literally next door to the old balloon grounds. We would come to work and have to show our badge before they let us in the parking lot to keep fiesta-goers from filling it up (secure facility). We would come in early just to watch them take off, then outside at every half-way good excuse. We could also see them from our first house in ABQ. They would fly over the house on the last leg returning to the grounds. Impressive sights.
 
Kev, I?m attending the ballon fiesta. In fact I arrived today. Thought I would beat the crowds and get here early. I?m in the North RV Lot. Hope to see you all!
 
Hey that's great Debra. We'll be arriving on the 7th. I'm sure we'll be wedged in... somewhere. We'll get in touch when we get there. I think Cyndi has your number.

Kev
 
Looks awesome.

My wife and I have talked about going to this one year but haven't been able to make it yet.  Talked to some friends a couple of weeks ago at the FMCA 4-Wheelers Black Hills Gathering that were going and they told us how much fun it was so I guess we'll have to make more of an effort to get there.

Mike
 
Kevin Means said:
Hey that's great Debra. We'll be arriving on the 7th. I'm sure we'll be wedged in... somewhere. We'll get in touch when we get there. I think Cyndi has your number.

Kev

Sounds good. Yeah it will be tight for your rig, they do squeeze them in. ?
 
We went in 2017 in a Winnebago Adventures group. We had a great site on the second row. We could sit in our coach and watch the balloons lift off. We had a couple of balloons land almost on top of our rig. We had 30 amp electricity and two pumpouts and fresh water fills.
We didn't care for the food when we went out to meals in the group. Everything was too spicy and hot for us.



 
We didn't care for the food when we went out to meals in the group. Everything was too spicy and hot for us.
I presume that was (New) Mexican food you ordered. If it was typical Albuquerque restaurant fare, you can usually ask whether the red or green chile is hotter (often it's the red, but not always), and some places you may be able to get very mild. Most places also offer more normal U.S. fare. The sopapillas that come with the meal in many (most??) NM restaurants (especially with honey) quickly kill the heat, too, as does milk to drink (among other things -- water is the worst).
 
Yes. Every place we went asked "red, green, or Christmas?" "Neither" was not an acceptable answer. You get hot, hotter, or hottest. If we went back, we would take our own food.
 
ChasA said:
Yes. Every place we went asked "red, green, or Christmas?" "Neither" was not an acceptable answer. You get hot, hotter, or hottest. If we went back, we would take our own food.


On the side is the right answer.  My wife is from Iowa and still struggles with the chili here.  That said, it is a staple and you can get green on a McDonalds burger :)

For locations, been watching and it sounds like they have taken part of the south RV lot and turned it to parking - - and part of the north parking lot and turned to RV's.  Who knows.

End of the day, you can't loose. 

One day I'm gonna book "Presidents Club" for a couple of days - - - right above the field with what has to be a killer view.


-Kyle

 
Those of you who do not appreciate green chili obviously didn?t spend enough time in New Mexico. Green chili is actually an addictive substance, and those who move to the state get addicted after some period of time. If you do not want to be addicted, do not, under any circumstance, eat in a (New) Mexican restaurant in the entire state. You even have to be careful at burger joints where green chili is an acceptable condiment.

Personally, I jumped right into the addiction. I haven?t lived there for almost 30 years, but the addiction is real. These days I feed my addiction primarily with green chili chicken enchiladas made flat, not rolled, in a true New Mexican style. Jalape?os? Tomatillos? Nah. Green chili all the way!
 
Green chili is actually an addictive substance
Interesting, though I don't think it's a physical addiction, but more like an addiction to chocolate. Perhaps that's why I love the 505 green chile sauce so much. It's New Mexico style (made in ABQ with Hatch chiles), unlike so many other products out there. Certainly I feel the green chile has better flavor than most red chiles.
 
Back
Top Bottom