[NRA2BFree]

I was in Albuquerque the first four days of the event. I haven*t missed a year since they began. I think It*s the most beautiful event in the world. :)

There*s one coming up in December in Gallup, NM. There*s really gorgeous scenery flying over the famous Red Rocks east of Gallup.

That*s where I got hurt. We got caught by ground winds when we came down, landed hard, got picked up by the wind, hit hard again and drug for a block before our chase crew could catch us. I got 3 cracked ribs, had two spinal surgeries and knee surgery as a result. Of course, ALL the men landed on me. LOL! All 115 pounds of me! :) The pilot walked up my back to keep from falling out of the balloon. LOL! I won*t fly again but I have been in chase crews since. It was my "virgin flight." Naturally. lol

Here*s the link to the Red Rock Balloon Rally!

Red Rock Balloon Rally

[abner]

Wow! That is a bummer! Good thing Dio didn't hear about your experience before her first flight! If we go next year we will go for the whole 9 days. I think we missed out on a lot of fun.

We talked about going to fly Red Rock on Monday after Fiesta but were too busy wrapping things up before we left yesterday.

[diotima]

OOOO, good thing I didn't hear about that. I was not really worried about the flight because I KNEW that VOC was such a great pilot.

[Sunshine Sister]

Oh man, your maiden flight wasn't much fun was it? I'm sorry that you won't at least try one more time for a fun flight. After all, when you crew you don't always see hard landings do you? If you do then by all means stay the heck out!

[InShanghai]

I grew up in Albuquerque and I haven't seen the Ballon Fiesta in years. I remember watching it when I was five, there were only a few ballons then, and it's such a great memory. My mother would wake us kids up when it was still dark outside. We would buy doughnuts and go to the fairgrounds, where ballons used to be launched, to watch. The ballons being filled in the morning is exiting. The roar of the burners and the glow of the ballons will always be a treasured memory. One day I will take my kids to see a ballon fiesta, and I hope they have the same experience as I.

My favorite ballon was the Jolly Roger. One year it landed in a field near our house, and all the kids in the neighborhood ran over to ask for a ride. Unfortunately, the pilot told us that was the end their trip.

Thanks for posting this and bringing such wonderful memories back. I'll certainly keep an eye out for America One and Patriot!

[Taxman]

Sorry to hear that you got hurt on your first hot air balloon flight and glad to hear that you still crew.

Lot of fun, isn't it?

Are the heuvos rancheros at the Gallup airport restaurant still the best in the West?