F/13.0, 1/500, ISO 250.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
What is a balloon’s least favorite school activity?
A pop quiz.
Interesting Fact: The Balloon Fiesta began in 1972 as the highlight of a 50th birthday celebration for 770 KOB Radio. Radio station manager Dick McKee asked Sid Cutter, owner of Cutter Flying Service and the first person to own a hot air balloon in New Mexico, if KOB could use his new hot-air balloon as part of the festivities. The two began discussing ballooning, along with conversation and help from Oscar Kratz, and McKee asked what the largest gathering of hot air balloons to date had been. 19 balloons in England, Cutter replied. Kratz asked “Can we get 19 here?” Cutter agreed to try. He got commitments from 21 pilots, but bad weather kept some of them from arriving in time. The first fiesta ended up as a gathering of 13 balloons on April 8, 1972, sponsored by KOB. The first event was located in the parking lot of the Coronado Center Shopping Mall with 20,000 spectators and with balloonists from Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Texas taking part. McKee, Cutter, and Kratz are the three men who had originally started the balloon races.[2] The first fiesta incorporated a “Roadrunner-Coyote Balloon Race” (a “hare-and-hounds” race elsewhere in the world) with 1 balloon being the “Roadrunner” and the others being “Coyote” balloons (the “Roadrunner” balloon was actually emblazoned with likenesses of both Warner Bros. characters). The winner of the race – the “Coyote” that landed closest to the Roadrunner – was Don Piccard of the noted aerostation dynasty, flying a balloon of his company’s design and construction (his wife also placed in the race). This race has continued as part of the Balloon Fiesta today. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albuquerque_International_Balloon_Fiesta#History )
Through Open Lens 
I have missed the Balloons in Albuquerque but have attended a spectacular one on the cliffs overlooking the Mississippi river in Natchez, MS.
What an amazing event!
https://www.everfest.com/e/great-mississippi-river-balloon-race-natchez-ms
That sounds like a fun evening, I must put it on my bucket list. Thank you very much for stopping by and sharing this with us. Happy Blogging! 🙂
Very nice pic 🙂 My favorite place from Breaking Bad 🙂
Hehehe yep, thank you very much for stopping by and checking out my post. Happy Blogging! 🙂
Someday I want to see this. We have one here, but not as big. Always exciting when the flukey winds mean a balloon or two has to set down in the fields at the edge of the block. Nothing like seeing a strange giant face looming over your neighbor’s house HAHA
Hehehe That is definitely very entertaining to see. Thank you very much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. Happy Blogging! 🙂
I used to live in Albuquerque and the Ballon Fiesta was my favorite part of the year!
It is quite a sight for sure, this was my first time and I was amazed by it. Thank you very much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. Happy Blogging! 🙂
Wow!
Thats cool.
Thank you very much, I am really glad that you enjoyed it. Happy Blogging! 🙂
This photo just made me smile. Oh, and I love blue skies, too 😀.
I am really glad to see that my post did that for you. Make people smile is my favorite thing to do. Thank you very much for stopping by and checking out my work. Happy Blogging! 🙂
Thank you, too, for dropping by my blog ✨
😉