Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

#HeyFrancis | Yesterday, I set off on a spontaneous one-day journey of a lifetime.  My non-stop Southwest flight from LAX took off at roughly 9pm on its way to the famous ABQ (Albuquerque Sunport) in New Mexico.  After a nice conversation with a motorcyclist from Boston, and a couple Deja Blues (Canned Water lol), we touched down safe and sound around 12AM.  For those of you who are interested, I guess we're allowed in the cockpit after the flight lands (don't be afraid to ask, the pilots are really nice).  A few lens adjustments and a couple of camera clicks later, were off to the hotel.

The next morning, I woke up around 4:15am to get ready for my first encounter with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  Our shuttle from the hotel left at 5am and took us to another rendezvous point where we all boarded school buses en route to the Fiesta.  Everything after arriving was such a blur.  One ballon after the other, balloons began taking flight illuminating the night sky.  Next thing you know, the sun was raising over the distant mountains while hundreds of balloons lay suspending in the air.  Later we found out that the winds this year were special; which kept most of the Hot Air Balloons above the grounds.  Even though the experience was so vivid and memorable, I wish these photos could really capture how beautiful the sight really was.  Do yourself a huge favor and visit the festival sometime :)

I have to thank my good friend Traci, for if not for her, I would have not been capable of attending such a memorable event.  Life is mean't to be lived people.  Do what you love now, because you never know if you'll be able to climb that mountain when you've aged.  Check out www.BalloonFiesta.com to plan a trip of your very own.  

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