Albuquerque, NM – The 48th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta had a beautiful closing with a final mass ascension. The nine days of launching had more than 580 hot air balloons participating each morning after the pilots briefing were given the okay to launch by the officials.
The overall week was a success with only a couple of events held back because of weather. The first day had a foggy beginning and there was an evening when the balloons were not able to glow because of the wind. Monday presented a challenge for a few balloonists with hard landings and a couple of mornings on the cooler side; but everyone bundled up in stride.
There were additional changes that were made to give additional security with added metal detectors. Larger buses were brought in to make transportation more efficient. The large amount of activity starting with Dawn Patrol at 6:00 a.m. all the way to the evenings finishing with Sky Divers, Glow and fireworks; a great success by the overall team shown for organization.
Doublerock Press pictures: https://www.napphotos.com
Hunter Wells/Nancy Ann Peterson, photographer