ARE YOU READY FOR FIESTA!

 ARE YOU READY FOR FIESTA!

Well, here we are, Friday before FIESTA!(Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, or AIBF)   officially starts. To recap our journey thus far, we drove 538 miles to the Bernalillo KOA where we stayed two nights. There we started to organize and chill before the FIESTA kicks off. 

Then on Thursday, we packed up and moved to the  Presidents Compound RV lot at Fiesta. We slid into our site and set up in a more perminate fashion for our 12 night stay. 

Thursday I was able to get my Navigator packet. Navigators are the volunteers who work FIESTA. This includes my Event ID, party tickets, two T-Shirts, an event program, calendar, and a Jacket.  

 I also met up with the Boss and got my Photo Packet. This includes a photo vest, Media Creds, Pins, Sponsor Hospitality Pass and other stuff. 

Back at SOLFAR (our camper) Lynn had the interior set up and I did some organization of my photo vest and equipment. There is still some more stuff to get together.   
This is the 53rd AIBF and the theme is Painted Horizons. The event starts on 10/4 and concludes on 10/12.

 Fiesta has grown from a quaint launch of 13 balloons in 1972 to the massive nine day celebration it has become today. 2025 marks the 53rd event for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. 

During Balloon Fiesta, one can expect to see more than 500 balloons participating in early morning Mass Ascensions, along with 100 Special Shape
balloons filling the skies, and in the evening, 200 balloons light up the evening sky with Balloon Glows and spectacular fireworks.

 All of the balloons launch from Balloon Fiesta Park, an 86-acre grass launch field – the size of 56
football fields. Pilots participating in the competitive events will launch off site and fly towards Balloon Fiesta Park on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday during the event.  

WHY ALBUQUERQUE, NM? - The Albuquerque Box is one reason: 

There are more than balloons here, there is the Fastrax Sky Diving Team, an amazing drone show, Pin trading (a big thing here, as 60,000 pins are ordered), Chain Saw carving, 38 vendors, musical acts and more. 

Fiesta will host over  800,000 guests. These guests will consume about 85,000 breakfast burritos. 

For me, I am honored to be a small part of this event. My days will be long, so I might not post as much here in the Blog, but will give it a go. 

Finally the best bit of advice I can give any one who wants to attend Fiesta is PLAN EARLY! Things book out early.  
 

 

                          Chili Peppers Fly Over Practice

                      Rainbow Riders and flying this Morning

As the breakfast burrito is purported to have been invented at Fiesta it is only fitting we start the day with one. 

 

 Lynn is planning on the Merchandise Tent this morning. 
   

     

SOON WE WILL BE OFF TO BALLOON FIESTA

 

 SOON WE WILL BE OFF TO THE BALLOON FIESTA: 

We are in the process of getting things together for our trip to Fiesta. Planning food, checking SOLFAR, gathering camera gear, and much more. Kenai will still be in recovery mode but he is not a balloon fan so he will chill in SOLFAR, we have a rear harness for him to help in and out of Solfar. All these things and much more.  

53ed Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta: 

The theme for the 53ed is Painted Horizons. 

"May the winds welcome you with softness.
May the sun bless you with its warm hands.
May you fly so high and so well that God
        joins you in laughter
And sets you gently back into the loving arms
         of Mother Earth."

This is the balloonist prayer recited after one lands.  

 

 

 

Here we are on the eve of the 53ed Fiesta and my excitement is starting to max out. I can share there will be two different drone shows. There will be several new special shapes at Fiesta and 550 balloon are registered thus far.

 

I am so looking forward to attending and being part of this amazing event. To be very honest, it is really hard to describe seeing the Dawn Patrol, the Mass Ascensions, the Glows, the Special Shapes, Team Fasttrax, the Kites, the drone shows, the Fireworks, the Main Street Entertainment, and the famous breakfast burritos. Oh, the competition events are really KEWL!



Yes,  for me it is a work event, working with some great photographers, yet still exciting and thrilling. I am humbled to be part of this team and part of AIBF. 

To see the crews prepping the balloons, the Zebras launching the balloons, and the wonderment of the visiting guests. 



 

 

 

My days will start at 0400 and the long days will end at 2200. Down time is spent sorting and editing and submitting photos. I LOVE IT!

My thoughts/tips on attending are many but here are some of the top tips.

TOP OF ALL TIPS IS THIS: go to the AIBF web site at https://balloonfiesta.com/. There is so much info there to make your Fiesta experience the best. 



1. Plan Early - that means starting directly after Fiesta ends  start planning for the next year.  RV site reservation start in January and sell out rather quickly.

2. I feel an RV is the best way to experience Fiesta. a. You don’t have to drive to the launch field. b. You have a place to chill between sessions. c. You don’t have to drive to the launch field. d. If the weather is not cooperating you can roll over and go back to sleep.

3. Since the launches are weather dependent plan on staying as many days as you can. So you don’t miss anything. 

4. Volunteer to crew for a balloon. There is a sign up location on the field where volunteers are accepted. You will learn a lot about balloons and have a lot and I mean a lot of fun.

5. Stay hydrated, dress in layers, sunscreen etc etc remember you are at altitude.

6. Yes you can rent a RV that will be brought to the site for you. Also, some folks will experience Fiesta with a RV group, there are a few which have group tours to Fiesta. 

 

These are just a few of the tips I have.

 

So if you are gonna be there this year let’s try and meet up. If you are thinking about next year, and have questions feel free to ask away.  

 

 

 

 

Back to Oslo and a day in Oslo:

 Back to Oslo and a day in Oslo: 

 

                                       See you in July

We enjoyed our final breakfast at Maryann’s Polarigg and got all packed up. We arranged for a taxi ride to the airport rather than the Flybus. FYI the cost is about 1/2 and if you time it right you beat the crowds for the flight check in. 

The flight from Longyearbyen is about 3 1/2 hours and this flight was FULL. Thus getting there early is well worth the efforts. 

Arrived in Oslo a bit early and passport control was more like we have experienced, lots of people. The process moves quickly. 

We gathered our bags and walked to the Radisson Red, Home of the Red Moose. :) Checked in and decided to have dinner at the hotel. We split their fish and chips and they were good. The fish had a more crisp and crusty batter, the portion was plenty for both of us. 

Back to to the room and unpack a bit and crash. 

Woke a bit after 0500 and started the coffee. We got ourselves together and made a plan for the day.  Looks we are in for a rainy day.

A visit to Oslo is not complete without a visit to Fram.  Train to the Central Station, then #12 tram to the waterfront, then the Bygdoy Ferry to the Fram. I know we probably spend more time than most there as some of the intricacies fascinate. As always a great refresher for me on Polar Exploration and the Explorers. 

Along our way, at the station we did pop into the Narvisen  and get some chocolate milk. Then to our baguette shop for a ham and cheese croissant.  

I learned these paths and bumps in the walking areas of Oslo are for the sight impaired individuals. They mark pathways, elevator loading ares , crosswalks etc.  

There is a cafe at the Fram Museum and to be honest I can not recommend this establishment for their food. I had a hot dog and it was barely OK. If not for a copious amount of crispy onions it would have been worse.

Rain was falling heavily and we decided to take our return via bus. Just as we left the museum there was a #30 bus right there and we jumped onboard. 

There was an event at the Swiss Embassy causing traffic congestion, but our bus driver did a great job navigating the mess with a extended bendy bus. 

The #30 bus route is rather scenic and should be considered as an alternative to the ferry should one desire. 

We took the bus to the National Theater stop and walked to Viking Planet. Viking Planet is an interactive museum  where one can explore the age of Vikings. I found this very well done with wide screen movies, virtual reality experiences, and interactive time lines. This was well worth our time again as a great Viking history refresher. 

We were ready for an early dinner and started looking for a place for a bite. Near the tram stop we found the Casbar. Here they have hand crafted pizza. We ordered the pepperoni as it was different with jalapeños and a chili honey. It was very very good.   

We then caught the #15 tram back to the Central Station. In the Central Station is a Co-op grocery store where Lynn got some chocolate to take home.  

We returned to the airport via the train. We checked to see what time the counter opened (0400) and then to the Radisson Red. We packed and weighed our bags and went to bed as a 0300 wake up was set. 

The beauty of the Radisson Red is the proximity to the airport and train. It is a 20-30 min walk, the rates are reasonable, and a real time saver for the early flights. 

Thus another one of our journeys ends and we had a great time, seeing new things, refreshing our experiences, meeting new friends and more.   

Let Us Explore Longyearbyen:

 Let Us Explore Longyearbyen:

We are really enjoying this property, it is so KEWL!!

We had dinner last night at Vinterhagen, the greenest restaurant in Longyearbyen. Greenest because it is a green house. Here you find greenery and Arctic Fox, Ice Bear, Musk Ox and all sorts of mining memorabilia. 

                                 Entrance to Vinterhgven 

                       Arctic Stout Stew with Whale Steak 

I ordered a stout beer from the Svalbard Brewery, the northernmost brewery, having had it before, I knew it is very nice. 

We both ordered Arctic Stout Stew from the starter menu. When served, we were told the meat used today was whale. There were potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes in a red sauce. The whale meat was very lean and tender. To me it was like a very high quality of beef. This was served with a good sized piece of garlic bread.  All was above EXCELLENT. 

While it was just a starter we both were stuffed when we finished as the portion for us was perfect. Yes things were a bit on the expensive side but that is to be expected here. 

We are up nice and early as usual having coffee and writing away. There is a coffee service in the hallway. 

I was up a few times last night checking the skies for the Aurora. It really never got totally dark and the skies were overcast and still are. One must remember we are at 78’ degrees North. 

The plan for today is to have breakfast and walk into town and visit some of the museums and Cafe Huskies and the local supermarket. Others have reported the prices not really that high except eggs. The last time we were here was a couple years ago and I thought things were more expensive. 

Our first visit to Longyearbyen was about 10 years ago and I must say things have definitely been built up in the interim. 

Breakfast was very good with so many options. I made a waffle. 

We packed our packs and were soon headed out. Our first stop was the North Pole Expedition Museum. This is an excellent well done museum. I really feel anyone coming to or departing from Longyearbyen should make this a stop. 

The great northern polar expeditions are displayed in a nice informative manner. I very much enjoyed the movies of those expeditions. There is a ship model of the Polaris, it was originally built as a tourist hunting boat to sail out of Longyearbyen. Financial events lead it to be sold to Shackleton who renamed it Endurance. We spent 2.5 hours there, probably more than most. 

 



We then walked to the Svalbard Museum. This museum does a great job of interpreting the history and wildlife of Svalbard.  I believe it should be a mandatory stop for anyone visiting the area. 

We then made a stop at Cafe Huskies for a drink, I had an iced tea and Lynn had a Chai Tea Latte. At Cafe Huskies there are usually a couple huskies hanging out demanding attention.

 

             There were three pieces of fish before the photo 

 

 

Barentz Gastropub was next on the agenda for lunch. It is located on the Radisson Blu Hotel. One reason for going there was next July we will be cruising with Hurtigruten to see the total eclipse. The eclipse journey will take us from Oslo to Longyearbyen where we will spend two nights as part of the cruise. Hurtigruten does not own the Radisson Blu here in Longyearbyen but they operate it. So we are guessing this is where we will be staying in 2026.

 

For lunch we split the fish and chips as the portion was very ample. While the batter was a bit on the heavy side it was still very good. 

As we left the Barentz Gastropub, the rain had started as forecast.

 

 Having had a very ample lunch we opted for a light dinner back at the Maryann’s Polar Rigg. 

Making a stop at Svalbardbutikken, we bought a sandwich and some pastry to have later as our evening meal. 

We are now back in our room, warm and dry and preparing for our flight tomorrow.