Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Since it has been so long since I last added to this blog, I need to back track a little.  In October of this year I attended the International Balloon Fiesta here in Albuquerque.  The close-up images show what is called the "Evening Glow",  a fiesta event that allows visitors to walk among hundreds of hot air balloons while they are being inflated.  When the announcer does the countdown, all balloons light at the same moment, making it very warm and loud and beautiful around the balloons.

This is an image of a balloon launch early one morning looking west from the northeast corner of the city.  Literally hundreds of hot air balloons took flight one after another and hovered over the city.

Grand Canyon New Year's Eve 2011