Kayak River 12 miles
Avg Speed 3.5mph, Max Speed 10.3 mph, 3:38 elapsed time, 5.08 ft river level
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Sunday, October 20, 2019
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Chase Crew - Albuquerque International Balloon Festival - Sunday 10/13/19
Albuquerque International Balloon Festival - Sunday 10/13/19
It's the last day of the festival and the crowds were considerably smaller. We all commented that this was the first day that we weren't being constantly being mobbed for Smurf trading cards. The majority of the balloons went up, and finally it was Smurf's turn. Happy Birthday Scotty - because today Scotty was the passenger of the day, along with Chuck. Patrick stayed behind with the chase crew. I was thrilled that Scotty got to go up because now I didn't need to get him a birthday present. There's absolutely nothing that could compete with a balloon ride. Interestingly, earlier in the week Scotty had not expressed an interest in going up in the balloon. But, after crewing all week, I think he realized that this was an opportunity that he could not pass up. It wasn't as windy today and Koen navigated the balloon close to the ground which made it a challenge for the chase crew to follow. We could see it soaring about schools, day care centers, houses; and the crew could see us following. We also noticed that there were two other cars chasing us and/or the balloon. The landing spot today was alongside a highway in a field with small, prickly pear cacti and many burrs. The people in the two cars got out to help, as well as many people in the houses near the field. Among the children was a small boy named Payton who especially thrilled at the whole process of packing up the balloon. Toni encouraged him to jump on the balloon and he would bounce some as the air shifted. He was lucky that he wasn't packed up into the balloon and returned back to Belgium. We had our last toast of the week; somewhat bittersweet because it was such an awesome experience. The landing ceremony was topped off when we sang 'Happy Birthday' to Scotty.
We returned to Chrissy's beautiful art-filled home, said our goodbyes, and drove off with beautiful memories of Albuquerque, seeing a long-time friend and meeting several new friends at the festival.
It's the last day of the festival and the crowds were considerably smaller. We all commented that this was the first day that we weren't being constantly being mobbed for Smurf trading cards. The majority of the balloons went up, and finally it was Smurf's turn. Happy Birthday Scotty - because today Scotty was the passenger of the day, along with Chuck. Patrick stayed behind with the chase crew. I was thrilled that Scotty got to go up because now I didn't need to get him a birthday present. There's absolutely nothing that could compete with a balloon ride. Interestingly, earlier in the week Scotty had not expressed an interest in going up in the balloon. But, after crewing all week, I think he realized that this was an opportunity that he could not pass up. It wasn't as windy today and Koen navigated the balloon close to the ground which made it a challenge for the chase crew to follow. We could see it soaring about schools, day care centers, houses; and the crew could see us following. We also noticed that there were two other cars chasing us and/or the balloon. The landing spot today was alongside a highway in a field with small, prickly pear cacti and many burrs. The people in the two cars got out to help, as well as many people in the houses near the field. Among the children was a small boy named Payton who especially thrilled at the whole process of packing up the balloon. Toni encouraged him to jump on the balloon and he would bounce some as the air shifted. He was lucky that he wasn't packed up into the balloon and returned back to Belgium. We had our last toast of the week; somewhat bittersweet because it was such an awesome experience. The landing ceremony was topped off when we sang 'Happy Birthday' to Scotty.
We returned to Chrissy's beautiful art-filled home, said our goodbyes, and drove off with beautiful memories of Albuquerque, seeing a long-time friend and meeting several new friends at the festival.
Now when I think of Albuquerque, I'll remember the outdoor color scheme of browns and muted greens, and some yellow and always the blue skies. But, overall, I'm going to remember this as a week of glorious color. The balloons were a sight to behold and then we always returned to Chrissy's home filled with her beautiful creations. I tried all week to find my favorite painting and it just can't be done. The wonderful thing about her art is that the paintings all have stories behind them. But, my story is that this is a cherished friendship and I'm so glad we met in 1986 when I first ventured on my life changing trip to Germany!
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