A few years ago, my husband and I flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the second time in our lives. The first time we visited Albuquerque was to see my husband’s aunt and uncle. Our daughter, Amanda, was only 4 months old at the time! She is now 44 years old…so, it has been some time since our first visit to this beautiful city!
Albuquerque is best known for its International Balloon Fiesta, which is held every year in October. The first time we visited Albuquerque was in October of 1980, and they were just getting started organizing the Balloon Festival (that is what it was called years ago). We really enjoyed going back to see this fun event and were amazed at just how large The Balloon Fiesta has grown since 1980.
1980 BALLOON FESTIVAL
Every year, over 500 hot air balloons “lift-off” at Balloon Fiesta Park, 4401 Alameda Blvd. N. E., Albuquerque, New Mexico. There is also the Dawn Patrol Show at 6 a.m. and the hot air balloon Mass Ascension at 7 a.m.
- Parachutists: This was the first year that parachutists participated in the festival.
- Balloonists: Balloonists from across the United States were invited to the event, and many were impressed by the warm reception they received.
- Launch location: The balloons launched from a large open field west of Coronado Center.
- Attendance: An estimated 20,000 people attended the event.
- Artistry: An artist-signed fine art edition of a print was released to commemorate the event. The print depicts a field of balloons being inflated by a man with a New Mexico-shaped head.
Very Important Note: Make sure you arrive at the park early, around 6 a.m., so you can see the flat and deflated hot air balloons being inflated in preparation for their flights.
You will get to witness the “firing up” of the hot air balloons lying on the ground all around you. Get close so you can feel the heat from the propane canister and see the glow of the balloons in pitch-black darkness as they start filling up with gas. When we were there, you could hardly see right in front of you…it was so dark outside! A lot of people were walking all around trying to get a closer look!!
So, make sure you arrive early at Balloon Fiesta Park. You will definitely want to walk around the field so you can see hundreds of the hot air balloons come to life. Feel the excitement of all the people milling around in the field, waiting to see the balloons start to take off. You can see many of the hot air balloons start rising up off the ground in giant rows in the dark fields around you. One after another, sometimes many at one time! You get to see the beautiful colors and shapes of all the balloons as they fill up with gas.
They all start glowing and rising in total blackness. It is fun being in the middle of all the excitement! You will get to hear all the propane canisters and see the fire and flames get blown into each hot air balloon. You get to see the baskets being attached to the inflated balloons. You get to see the excited customers getting ready to go up, up and away in their chosen balloon! You can get as close as you want to the balloons. My husband was just feet away from the flaming canisters, and we both watched in amazement as the balloons started coming to life. They slowly started to fill and lift. If it is a cool morning, you can even warm up a little from the heat being blown into the balloons! Sometimes, there is so much going on that you do not know where to look next. Then, right around 7 a.m., most of the balloons are inflated and glowing as the sun rises over the park. It is something wonderful to witness! Then, the Mass Ascension happens…they release the balloons into the sky! It is totally awesome!!!
For 9 Days
In October the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® creates an enchanted world of special shape balloon rodeos, twilight balloon glows, and vibrant balloon-filled skies.
They also have many more events going on every day during the festival. Chainsaw Carving, Twilight Twinkle Glow, Drone Light Show, After Glow Fireworks Show, Chainsaw Carving Auction, and many local bands perform daily. So, go online to learn more about advanced ticket sales, dates and times of events, and the park-and-ride buses that will transport you directly to Balloon Fiesta Park. You can even book a Hot Air Balloon Ride if that item is on your “bucket list”! We do not mind climbing a few very tall bridges, but free flying in a hot air balloon is definitely not on our personal “Bucket List.” We rode on a hot air balloon in Orlando (years ago) at the Disney Springs area (the balloon was tethered), and that was enough for us!
While you are in Albuquerque, you may want to also check out the beautiful Sandia Peak Mountains. You can take the “Aerial Tramway” up to the top of the mountain for a great view of the city. Just make sure you buy your tickets ahead of time, especially if you try to ride the tramway during the International Balloon Fiesta days. Unfortunately, we could not ride the tram up the mountain on the days we visited Albuquerque because the tickets were all sold out!
Sandia Peak Mountains
Aerial Tramway
While we were staying in Albuquerque, we took a day trip to visit Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe, (a/k/a “The City Different”) is only about 60 miles away from Albuquerque (1 hr. drive) and is well worth the trip. Santa Fe is also a very beautiful city filled with over 250 fine art galleries and beautiful unique adobe style buildings. It has the Santa Fe Plaza area (built in 1610), which is surrounded by many historic buildings, museums, shops, and restaurants. It also has the Palace of the Governors, the oldest continuously occupied government building in the United States. The city sits at an altitude of over 7,000 feet, and averages over 325 days of sunshine every year. So, if you have some time, stop by Santa Fe for an afternoon of fun!
After leaving Albuquerque, we drove for 3 hours (200 miles) on I-40 and U. S. Hwy 285S to Roswell, New Mexico, where we stopped for lunch and some unique gift shopping. Roswell, as you probably know by now, is best known for the first alien Earth visit in 1947! Did aliens actually visit Roswell in 1947? Who knows? Some say yes, and some say no.
Roswell is a city in southeastern New Mexico. It's renowned as the site of an alleged 1947 UFO crash. The International UFO Museum and Research Center has display panels and a library. Spring River Park and Zoo is home to native animals and an antique carousel. The Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art shows work from the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program. The Roswell Museum & Art Center focuses on southwestern art. ― Google
However, it is kind of fun to think about it and to stop and visit a town that has really grabbed onto the concept and ran with the whole “Alien Thing”!! LOL!! This town is (definitely) worth stopping to visit for a little while. Where else can you see a giant Green Alien holding a Dunkin Donuts sign? Many streetlights with green alien faces painted on the glass globes, plenty of “Alien Gift Shops”, and a whole lot more? We absolutely had to stop and have lunch in this town and then visit many of the shops for those perfect “Alien” gifts to bring home to the grandkids!! I even bought some cute green alien earrings and an alien T-shirt for myself! I often wear them during the week of Halloween!
However, we did not try to find the famous “Area 51” while we were visiting Roswell…even though it was (supposedly) not too far away. We did not have enough “EARTH” time for that kind of adventure, and it was not on my travel itinerary! Seeing all the cute little aliens in Roswell was enough for us!
We jumped back in our vehicle and headed 80 more miles to the hotel we reserved in Carlsbad, New Mexico. We planned to stay two nights at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites at 2210 West Pierce in Carlsbad, New Mexico. (It was a nice hotel and it had a very good free breakfast available in the morning.) When we arrived at our hotel, they let us check in earlier than usual. We quickly unpacked and then decided to eat an early dinner so we could drive to Carlsbad Caverns National Park that evening (before sunset) just so we could witness the famous “Bat Flight” at the caverns.
Millions of Brazilian free-tailed bats take flight every night (between late May to mid-October) to find food and water. It is a totally amazing sight to see! The Cavern area has an outdoor amphitheater where you can sit for the “Bat Flight Viewing”. You will need to sit very silently and wait for the mass exodus of the bats leaving the cavern. No noise or photography (whatsoever) is allowed in the viewing area! It may distract the bats as they fly out of the cavern, and that is not allowed! If you have noisy children that cannot sit quietly, they will ask you to leave the bat viewing area immediately. We actually saw that happen while we were there waiting for the bats to take flight out of the caverns! We highly recommend that you do not miss this strange occurrence if you are visiting Carlsbad Caverns during late May to mid-October. It is wonderful to behold! The bats look like “smoke in the sky” as they leave the cavern, and all fly in one direction toward the Pecos River.
You can see the black-looking smoke stream in the sky many miles away from the viewing area. And, just for your information, no bats even got close to flying into my long hair the whole time they were flying out of the cavern! However, just as a precaution, I did pull my hair back into a ponytail. You know, just in case a bat or two happened to fly in my direction! LOL!! Thank goodness they all decided to fly in one direction out of the cave and not in my direction! I will admit that I was a little nervous about that happening! My husband loved it…He said it was the first time he saw me sit quietly (and very still) for so long without yapping about something or fidgeting!! LOL!!
The next day we took the “audio self-guided tour” into Carlsbad Caverns. Stop by the Visitor’s Center to rent your audio headsets ($5 rental per person). (FYI: If you want a guided tour of the caverns, make sure you book that tour about four months in advance.) We, personally, like to descend into the cavern by using the natural entrance to the caverns. You will need to be in pretty good shape to navigate the hike down to the bottom of the cavern. You will descend 88 floors as you make your way to the underground cavern floor. It is 750 feet down! The trail down to the cavern floor has steep switchbacks, some steps and some wet areas with handrails. It also has a lot of areas to stop for a few minutes if needed. The whole time, you can listen to your headsets about the cavern history and the famous formations you are seeing before your eyes. It is an amazing tour that you can do at your own speed! Also, Carlsbad Caverns has really done an amazing job lighting the cavern areas.
The trail down into the cavern is listed as a 1.25-mile strenuous hike. It will take you about 1-1/2 hours to get to the bottom of the cavern floor using the Natural Cavern entrance. Since you can take your time on this trail, and stop as often as you like, I believe it is well worth the trip down to the cavern floor through the Natural Cavern entrance. That way, you will not miss all the beautiful formations inside the cavern. We actually love taking this self-guided tour! Just make sure you use the facilities before making your way down to the cavern floor. There are only two restrooms, one on the top floor (in the Visitor’s Center) and one at the very bottom of the cavern floor (88 floors below). So, make sure you “GO” before you go on this tour (if you know what I mean)!!
It is hard to believe that scientists have proven that the caverns started to fill with all of those amazing stalagmites and stalactites about 500,000 years ago. It is an incomparable underground world of large subterranean chambers and fantastic cave formations. And, for your information, most of the formations are still alive and growing! So, if you happen to visit the caverns, DO NOT TOUCH ANY OF THE FORMATIONS!! Sorry, I do not mean to shout, but if you touch the formations, it can stunt or stop their growth.
BIG ROOM TRAIL
ICEBERG ROCK
Make sure you book a tour that takes you to visit the “Big Room”, the “King’s Palace”, the “Hall of Giants”, the “Bottomless Pit” and “Iceberg Rock”. All of these areas in the caverns are beautiful and amazing to see. Also, please remember that the temperature inside the caverns is always a constant 56 degrees, so, dress accordingly!! You may need a hat, gloves and a heavier jacket! You will definitely need a good pair of hiking shoes or sneakers with slip-resistant soles. It does get a little wet down in the caverns!
FYI: We first visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park when our children were really young. Amanda was only around 6 years old, Andrea was around 3 years old, and I was six months pregnant with our son, Alex. I did not have any problems navigating the caverns, and neither did my older parents, who were touring the cavern with us. So, if you cannot walk all the way down to the cavern floor, there is a much easier way to get down there…You can take the elevator down! You will miss a lot of the inner cavern areas and a lot of the beautiful cave formations (including those amazing stalagmites and stalactites), but if you cannot navigate 88 floors down (750 feet), take the elevator! There is a small restaurant area where you can buy some lunch and sit for a while at some tables in the large cavern floor area. There is also a gift shop area where you can buy all those marvelous things you cannot live without! (Of course, I bought a Bat Flight T-shirt!)
Note: Carlsbad Caverns National Park also has some hiking trails within the “outdoor” park area, so, if you are interested in hiking some trails, get a park map and talk to the Park Rangers after your indoor cavern adventure.
We always love visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We have visited many caves/caverns and, to us, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is definitely the BEST! Hopefully, you will think so too! The only bad thing about Carlsbad Caverns is that it is located in the middle of nowhere!! We wish it was easier to get to the park because I know we would definitely visit the park more often.
Stay tuned for PART 2 in November!!!
After our adventure in the caverns, we headed back to our hotel room to clean up and then go out to eat some dinner in town. After dinner, we returned to our hotel room to start packing for our trip to our next destination…Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It was our next stop and we were really looking forward to visiting the next National Park on our list. We just happened to look out of our third-floor hotel room window, and that is when we noticed two large coyotes chasing after a very large (and very quick) rabbit in front of our hotel. Thank goodness the rabbit got away to live another day! You just do not know what you will see next when you travel out West!!
Remember to check my November BLOG (next month) for Part 2 of this vacation trip. You will get to see some great pictures of (and read about) Guadalupe Mountains National Park, El Paso, Texas, White Sands National Park, and the El Paso Zoo! We hope you have a very HAPPY (AND SAFE) HALLOWEEN!!!
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