Albuquerque 9th & 10th October

We decided to do the shopping bit on the 9th so caught the local bus "Rapid Transit 766" to Downtown. That was a feat in itself! We had to get off one bus and onto another but the bus driver actually took us across and got us on the second bus. We ended up in this huge Mall but there were very few people there. Had a wander around then decided to go home. We managed to get back and caught the 766 and another lady got on the bus. The driver told her to come with us as we were getting off at "Old Town" and that is where she wanted to be. We started chatting and I could not believe it but she knew an Aussie and she did not know where she came from but her relatives owned a vineyard in Australia. Then she said it was "Balnaves". I could not believe it as I was at a photography workshop with Annette Balnaves last year. Small world.
We then drove to Sandia Peak Ski Tramway and went up the mountain.  Its horizontal length is 2.7 miles and the vertical rise is 3819 feet from the lower terminal which is 6559 feet. Top terminal is 1o 378 feet. It travels at 13.6 mph or 20 feet per second. One span is over this huge canyon is 7720 feet. A plane crashed into one canyon in 1955 and 14 people were killed.
We then checked out the way to the Balloon festival so that we would not be lost the following day.

10th October Balloon Festival
Marg and I rose at 4 AM to go to the festival. Yvonne was not well so she stayed in bed. We drove out in the dark and found it - no probs. Parked and then a shuttle took us to the field. It was so well organised. First they sent up four weather balloons and they radioed back the winds. Then 10 or 11 balloons prepared to ascend. Still dark! Before that though they did burns by the count, then all together they began the ascent. Still dark. It was amazing. We thought that was it but NO!!! Hundreds went up. they were all colours and shapes. Some of the big shapes couldn't launch as it become too windy but there was Woody, Dath Vader, Smokey Bear, Fireman, Elvis, Elephant, Pink Pig to name a few. Marg and I were going "WOW" and did not know which way to look. By the way, all the people were just wandering around the field as this launch took place. While it may have looked as though they just took off, it was very tightly controlled and they could not launch until directed to do so. The sky was full of balloons. What a sight!!!