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We’ve been parked in Albuquerque for over two weeks now, which is a long time for us to go without relocating! The annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has been such a blast, and we’ve been spending a lot of time photographing hot air balloons. I posted a handful of photos in my last blog post from my first two days at the event, and this post will just serve as a continuation of the last.

The highlight of my week was probably yesterday morning. We decided to drive in to the Fiesta Park instead of taking the shuttle. Being Saturday, we got stuck in a mess of traffic with hundreds of cars lined up at the gate. The lots eventually filled up and they stopped letting people in. This doesn’t sound like a “highlight” yet, I know. As a result, we parked in a lot about a quarter mile from the field and, since we missed the launch, we decided to shoot right from the parking lot. The balloons were already in the air. It turns out, the wind was in our favor, and all of the balloons lifted out of the park and soared directly over us! To make things even better, we had a cold night which left some frost on the ground and snow on the nearby mountains. Well, the balloons sailed right in front of those snow-covered mountains and it was the most beautiful backdrop I could have hoped for! I even shot a time-lapse series because it was so gorgeous.

Last night’s evening glow was stunning as well. There’s just something about those colorful balloons lit up against the night sky that just gives you goosebumps! So I’m going to include some more pics from the event, but definitely check out the video/slideshow at the top of this post. It’s pretty darn cool… and I bet you’ll add the Balloon Fiesta to your to-do list!

Tomorrow, we move on from Albuquerque and will meander toward the Flagstaff/Sedona area. More to come…