Roadtrip #4: New Mexico and the Albuquerque Balloon Festival

======== DAY 4 ========

Before our trek out of El Paso, TX, we decided to visit one of the landmarks that we passed on the way in. We took the I-10 east for a few miles to Concordia cemetery, which has some antiquated markers dating back to the late 1800s. After a little sleuthing, we were able to find the grave of the famous gunslinger John Wesley Hardin.

We used the Hwy 62/180 corridor to sneak out of the El Paso area and make our way towards Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The view of El Capitan and Guadalupe Peak (the highest point in Texas) came into our view as we rounded the many curves leading into the park. I knew ahead of time there was not really much to do here by vehicle, as this park caters mostly to hikers. We did have a chance to visit a few landmarks, such as the Pinery stagecoach station ruins, and the Frijole Ranch museum. We then continued our northeast pace on Hwy 62/180.

The next National Park on the list is something none of us have ever been to, even though we've heard about it enough. We arrived at Carlsbad Caverns National Park about 20 minutes before their 2:00 guided tour. I never made any reservations, and going online the night before didn't show any availability, so I was hoping for some last-minute cancellations or something of equivalence.

We went up to the counter... lo and behold, there were tickets available. Woo hoo! We paid up for the guided tour (and got free self-guided passes thanks to dad's Golden Age pass) and headed down the elevator 750 feet to the beginning of the walk to King's Palace. The restrooms and snack bar in the main cavern was a nice touch.

We spent over 2 hours going through the King's Palace and Big Room caves. I'm surprised I didn't run out the battery on my camera, although I wasn't using flash and letting the artificial light shape my pics. This probably goes without saying, but yeah this is one of the best cave formations I have seen, hands down.

We didn't want to wait another 2 hours for the Bat Flight so we decided to finish our route off, continuing up the highway, stopping for a Sonic dinner in Carlsbad, and then using Hwy 285 to finally arrive in good 'ol Roswell after sundown.

We'll take a look at the UFO museum tomorrow, then get a head start and arrive in Albuquerque as early as we can, since I'm pretty sure there's gonna be loads of people settling in early as well.

I'm also reading forecast reports of possible rain in the area late Saturday and all day Sunday. Ruh roh...

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Originally Posted by Kinless

I'm also reading forecast reports of possible rain in the area late Saturday and all day Sunday. Ruh roh...

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So far, they’re saying that things look OK for Saturday morning and maybe Saturday evening, but Sunday might not be so good. Hopefully things won’t be too bad.

The local TV weatherguys are telling people that Saturday is the day to go to the balloon fiesta, since Sunday might be bad, so a lot of folks will be headed out there Saturday morning. The gates open at 4:30 am, and you really don’t want to arrive any later than 5:30 am. The earlier you can get to the balloon park, the better.

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Originally Posted by Kinless

....then get a head start and arrive in Albuquerque as early as we can since I'm pretty sure there's gonna be loads of people settling in early as well.

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That’s probably a good idea, and US 285/I-40 is definitely the fastest route to ABQ. But if you feel like you have enough time and want to hit some backroads, here is an alternate route from Roswell to Albuquerque. This route would take a little more time than US 285/I-40 [about five hours, not counting stops along the way], but it’s a little more scenic, and there are some interesting places along the way -- Lincoln State Monument, Gran Quivira, Quarai. Just a suggestion, if you have time.

Hi Kinless,

I am really enjoying your report, top stuff !

I have to get me to those Carlsbad caverns, I look forward to your updates.

Dave.

======== DAY 5 ========

We woke up to the shadows of alien figures hovering over us...

Hahaha ok but seriously. Out the door we went at 9:00am MDT and down a block to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. Although the exhibits and timeline were interesting, it wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. We didn't spend more than 30 minutes in the museum but we did buy enough merchandise where you would think we had stayed all day. We hit a few other stores and then left Roswell about 10:45am MDT.

We decided on a last minute change to the route on this leg (thanks howard!) and took Hwy 380 due west, to the historic town of Lincoln. Here we viewed Lincoln State Monument, with the landmarks that told the stories of Billy the Kid and the Lincoln War back in the 1800s. We spent a few hours here touring the different structures, some original, and some renovated. But there was plenty of history here to be learned.

It was getting rather late so instead of taking more scenic routes, we kept westward on Hwy 380 until we got dumped onto I-25 north. We spent another hour or so getting up to Albuquerque, and we are stationed about 4 miles from the balloon park.

We've gotta be up at 4:00am. Ho boy... I might be grouchy for my next report so just forewarning you... hehe. Tomorrow will be our highlight of the trip. Let's hope the weather stays favorable long enough to get our opening day in.

Many of the restaurants have alien-themed names for their items and such. It's kinda fun but, yeah, not as much as I hoped for either. I do love the street lights, LOL. I bet it's a hoot during their alien festivals.

Looking forward to hearing about the balloons.

======== DAY 6 ========

Sleep and I were not best friends during the night. I kept waking up several times, probably due to my consistent paranoia about oversleeping. I really didn't have much to worry about, since both my folks had the same problem. At 3:50am MDT we realized we probably weren't going to get any more shut-eye. So we ended up just getting our stuff ready and leaving close to 4:30am.

Getting to the Balloon Fiesta park wasn't so bad, as the local traffic enforcement did an outstanding job of directing everyone to the lots, right down to your own parking spot. I noticed most residential and business streets were closed off. I guess that comes from years of too many people trying to buck the system. We were able to park right in front of the main Gate 14. Easy as pie.

We entered the park shortly before 5:00am. There were already thousands of people here sitting around waiting, eating, shopping, or walking on the field. Man, this should be good if this many people are dedicated to sacrificing half a night of sleep.

The 11-man Dawn Patrol show began around 6:00am, with their own "mini-glow" show and then the ascension to test wind speed and direction. After that they began their opening ceremony with the National Anthem and the ascending lead balloon with the American flag.

That was the signal for the mass ascension. Over the next 90 minutes we literally stood in awe and watched the hundreds of different balloons take formation and float away in the dawn sky. We assumed there would be no "special shapes" during this ascension, but luckily there were about 50 balloons or so with a variety of shapes which got the most hoots and hollers. About half of the balloons had branded sponsors. It was non-stop excitement. I especially loved feeling the rumbling "bass" in your gut as the burners from nearby balloons fired off. I'm pretty sure I took more pictures here than at Carlsbad Caverns.

After the last of the balloons floated away, we bought the usual souvenirs and then rushed out, as the crowds were now in the tens of thousands and my folks aren't used to things like that. We rejuvenated at the hotel and then headed for Old Town Albuquerque, a 300 year-old area of the city along Route 66 which had quaint little shops and of course carried on with festivities for us "Balloonists."

Next came the Aerial Tram to Sandia Peak. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea and the line to get tickets was 2 hours long. Ummm, no. We decided to eat at the Mexican restaurant at the base of the mountain for lunch, and then book it. Dang it all...

While my folks were getting their second wind at the hotel during the afternoon, I was off to meet a long-time (huge train nerd) friend at the Amtrak station downtown. He was doing his own cross country vacation and happened to be coming home via Amtrak's Southwest Chief from New York to Fullerton, CA. He also just happened to have a 45-minute layover in ABQ the same day I was there. Nice. His train pulled in at 4:00pm, so we met for a few minutes and i got to see his quarters in the Sleeping Car aboard the train. Hmm, maybe I'll do that some day.

No time to doddle. I raced back to the hotel, picked up the parents, and bulldozed my way back to the park for the evening festivities.

But our luck turned sour. I completely ignored the oncoming rain clouds and ferocious winds, and after we got there (and paid our $6 fee again) we got the announcement that due to high winds and occasional rain, the Glow event was cancelled. The entertainment and fireworks were still scheduled, but those wouldn't start until 8:00pm.

We tried to fill in some time, but we already walked up and down the row of vendors, and the Balloon Museum was just closing so we couldn't make that. We really didn't want to wait over 2 more hours, so we made the hard decision to just go home and forfeit the evening. Of course as we exit the park, they're no longer selling tickets, and letting everyone come in. Blast it all. Yes, our tickets are now rain checks but we may not have a chance to use them before we leave ABQ early Monday morning. Ugh.

Loooooong day. I had to jump in the hotel spa for 20 minutes to relax. Much needed.

More rain tomorrow makes Sunday balloon events very "iffy." But we'll be in Santa Fe most of the day so it may not matter. If we get back early enough and the weather is kind, we may get to see the Glow show. We'll play it by ear.

OK wow, I foamed at the mouth today. I'll try and go easy on everyone tomorrow. I mean, how much can I possibly talk about for Santa Fe? (Don't answer that...)

======== DAY 7 ========

Not that it mattered much, but the Sunday morning events of the Balloon Fiesta were cancelled due to the pouring rain. Fine with us, as we weren't planning on going anyway. Our focus for the day was 50 miles north.

At 9:00am MDT we headed up I-25 to meet one of mom's friends she's known since grammar school. She and her husband were on their own roadtrip and we timed it right for meeting them in Santa Fe to spend the day.

We met them on Canyon Road and cruised up and down the street looking at the various art galleries. I only found some wind sculptures I wished I could afford. From there we dropped by the capitol building to get my picture in front of it and knock off another one of the 50 capitols to see. Immediately after, we all headed to the central Santa Fe Plaza where there was more shopping to be found. Finally we all ate a late lunch at Tortilla Flats before saying goodbye to mom's friends and departing back south on I-25.

I had been keeping tabs on the status of the Balloon evening events via the toll-free number. At 4:00pm the message finally changed to say the Balloon Glow and fireworks show were scheduled to go on. With that, I made sure we went straight to the park from Santa Fe. We arrived at 5:15pm and once again found a place in the center of the park to sit.

Shortly after sundown, 10 rows of balloons started lighting up the park grounds. It was mostly random burns and flickers, but every once in a while you'd hear a countdown and most balloon teams made an "all burn" or an "all flicker" which was great for taking pictures. This only lasted an hour and all the teams moved out from the field before our final event of the fireworks. They were, as expected, spectacular, and topped off a great day.

We're off early in the morning and headed to Sedona, AZ. We've got a long way to go, and 2 stops on the way. Hopefully I'll sleep all the night through.

======== DAY 8 ========

We prepared for the day a little earlier than usual since it was going to be jam-packed. We left the hotel at 8:15am MDT and stocked up on food at the local Wal-mart in ABQ before heading west on I-40.

Our first stop for the day was 60 miles beyond the New Mexico/Arizona state line and a gain of one hour, at the Petrified Forest National Park, where we arrived at 10:55am MST. After the Visitor Center, we took the entire 28-mile road from north to south and observed many of the scenic points, the minor highlights, and the Great Tree forest near the end. I expected a "forest" of sorts, not knowing it was just located in the Painted Desert and filled with what remains of petrified trees. We used Hwy 180 to get back to I-40 west.

The next stop was another 45 miles west, at the Arizona Meteor Crater landmark. We arrived in the late afternoon so there wasn't much time left. The first thing we did was head out toward the crater. Yikes, that thing is huge. The fixed telescope points were a nice touch. After the quick view, we watched the 10-minute movie, viewed the museum exhibits, and did our usual tourist-buying rigamarole. We left as they were shutting down the landmark.

Despite the one hour gain, we still didn't arrive in Sedona until after sundown, using I-17 south to Hwy 89A. I could see the shadows of the sky-scraper rock formations as we descended into the narrow valley. As we passed downtown Sedona, the multitude of shops was eye-popping, to say the least. The folks, who were here 35 years prior, were blown away as well.

Tomorrow will be another full day. We may go back up to Flagstaff and check out a few things, then come back to Sedona for some afternoon gazing. Sounds like fun...

I would tempted to stay there and soak in the vistas instead of returning to a city. But Flagstaff is a pretty cool place, so it's a toss-up.

It sounds like you weren't all that impressed with the Petrified Forest? Maybe I'm reading you wrong? I thought it was a pretty amazing place but, then again, the whole petrified thing has always been quite intriguing to me.

Looking foward to your next installment.

======== DAY 9 ========

The timeshare rental we picked up in Sedona was very nice, but not quite roomy enough for 3 people. We headed out around 9:00am MST and went back north on Hwy 89A/I-17, through Flagstaff, and toward the Snowbowl. There was a 1.5-mile trail we read about in some magazine, using Hwy 180, off Snowbowl Road, called the Lamar Haines Memorial. This trail contained loads of aspen trees, some of which were starting to take on their fall colors. Also on watch were old structures dating back to the late 1800s built by Ludwig Veit, which are still standing. This was a 2-hour leisurely hike, and would have been a nice quiet stroll were it not for the noisy kids on a school field trip. Nice.

Following that, back down through Flagstaff we drove, and headed again for Sedona. On the way we stopped several times to get some pics of the awesome rock formations that we saw in shadow the night before. We found a remote Dairy Queen with Indian Wares and a Visitor Information booth.

At the booth, upon getting some Sedona fun facts, I was offered a 7-day condo vacation in exchange for viewing timeshare options. I figured it was one of their ploys to get me to buy something, but I was curious about how the whole timeshare process worked, since I've only heard the usual anecdotal experiences. I could always say no and still get the free vacation. I dropped off my folks at the rental and decided to take a look.

Yeah yeah, they strong-armed me for about 3 hours, and I was tempted with all the free bones they were throwing at me, but with the current circumstances I couldn't justify any kind of big purchase like that right now. I felt bad because I kept them way past their closing time, but yeah that's the way it goes. I never ever make those kind of spontaneous decisions. But knowing what I know now, I may get a timeshare in the future when I'm in a better position to do so.

OK that last part didn't really have anything to do with taking a road trip, but it was an interesting experience nonetheless.

Tomorrow is our final day. We finish our westward route, with a drive through Joshua Tree National Park before getting back to the daily grind.