My husband and I opted not to take a hot air balloon ride during the Balloon Fiesta but saved it for our actual anniversary a couple of days later! I did research on various ballooning companies based in Albuquerque and settled on World Balloon because of their excellent TripAdvisor reviews. Also, I found a $10 off coupon in the Visitors & Convention Bureau brochure I got when we picked up our rental car. We waited until the day before to book our flight since we were being indecisive, but thankfully they had spots available for us.

In October World Balloon only offers sunrise flights (they start sunset flights in November), so we got up while it was still dark to go to the launch site. My husband got to help with the setup of the balloon while I took a bunch of photos of the process. Once the balloon was inflated, we all hopped into the basket to take off. I must admit I was a bit nervous beforehand, but as soon as we were off the ground I was just so enthralled by the whole experience that I felt just fine. The ride is so smooth that you forget you’re airborne.

I enjoyed looking out and seeing the city of Albuquerque below from above. My favorite part of the ride was floating over the cottonwood forest, the largest in North America, and the Rio Grande River where our basket skimmed the water! It was so peaceful and relaxing floating over the river and seeing other balloons in the distance. Our guide Murray and the two other ground crew members were fantastic and told us interesting stories about his years as a balloon pilot. As we went over downtown, we were able to pick out our hotel, Hotel Parc Central.

During our landing, we saw a road runner running out of the way! After the flight, my husband said it was “the highlight of the year.” Mind you, we went to Greece this year! It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend it! We enjoyed going as part of a group since we met interesting fellow balloonists from a variety of places.

After our ride back to the launching site from the landing site, a champagne celebration with muffins and other breakfast foods was waiting for us. While we feasted on the treats Murray regaled us with the history of ballooning and why champagne is served. The Montgolfiere brothers of France were the first to have successful manned flights. Legend has it that when they first started flying and landing in fields peasants mistook the balloon for a fire-breathing dragon, since the balloons were filled with smoke in addition to hot air, and would attack them with stones and pitchforks. Early balloonists brought champagne with them to appease the peasants and so a tradition was born. Today champagne is served during the first flight ceremony and the balloonists prayer might also be featured. It goes like this “The winds have welcomed you with softness. The sun has blessed you with his warm hands. You have flown so high and so well that God has joined us together in laughter and set us gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.”

Share you hot air balloon stories or dreams with us in the comments below! We love hearing from you!

Stephanie at A Friend Afar

Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.