Alamagordo balloon Invitational and Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

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I had intended to go back to the Montrose – Ridgeway area of Colorado in the last half or September but I have revised my plan and am now visiting the Alamogordo Balloon Invitational in New Mexico. It is held at the White Sands National monument and in Alamogordo on September 21^stand 22.

After this I will explore the Lincoln National Forest for a bit and then attend the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, scheduled for October 5^th to October 15th. I attended the Balloon Fiesta on October 5^th to 9^th in 2011. This is blogged about in trip 7 of my blogs. The weather was very cold, windy, and rainy most of that event but the times it cleared up enough still made the event worth attending. It was awesome. Hopefully I will get better weather this time.

Part of the time last time I attended I stayed at the Suburban Extended Stay on Wellesley Drive NE, but they were booked up the rest of the time. The other days I stayed at the Sandia Resorts Casino across the interstate from the balloon fest in their parking lot for RV’s for free. The lot is on a hill overlooking the event and indeed I just watched the morning show from the bridge next to the casino on the last day. I am reading my blogs on that trip as part of my homework for this trip.

After I attend the balloon fest, I plan on heading to Western Central Colorado….. Hopefully the snow will not be too bad in the mountain passes by then. I am actually seeing on the weather channel that they are having flash floods in west central Colorado as well as in the Front Range area of Colorado. Hopefully this will have all blown thru before I get there.

I did get some work done on my truck while I was home. The front brake pads on my truck were worn out and I had them replaced at a cost of $273 by a friend of my brother in law. This was to replace the Calipers, the shoes, and the brake lines in front. The brakes on the rear were in good shape still. It needed to be done even if I was not intending to head back into the mountains again. It’s good to have good brakes if you are going to drive in the mountains. : ) I’ll changed my oil while I am home as well.

So I’m looking at heading out again on the 17^th of September.

http://www.white-sands-new-mexico.com/hot_air_balloon_invitational.htm

http://www.balloonfiesta.com/ - Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

I bought a Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer on New Mexico for $21. I used one on Colorado on my last trip and it was worth its weight in gold for showing campgrounds and small roads not on other maps. I might go so far as to say that if I had not had one on the last trip I could not have found my way around half as well. It is a great reference source particularly for showing where the boundaries, campgrounds, forest roads, etc. of National Forest are.

I have been doing quite a bit of homework on the Alamogordo, Cloudcroft, and Lincoln National Forest area.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/lincoln - Lincoln Natonal Forest.

http://camping.about.com/od/campgroundreviews/fr/ucpcga60.htm - Apache campground review

http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/lincoln/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=34166&actid=29 Lincoln National Forest campgrounds

Sunday September 15 – Today I made my final preparations washing the clothes I actually wear (like most men I have closets full of clothes but always just wear the same things). I have started washing my clothes on the day just before I leave and pack those clothes. That way I pack the clothes I actually wear instead of what I "might" wear.

I will be leaving on Tuesday the 17 as I still have some more “rat killing” to do tomorrow. This will work out anyway as allowing 3 days to get to the Cloudcroft/Alamogardo area will still get me there with time to scout around before the balloon invitational starts on the 21^st.

This evening I went over my Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer on New Mexico with a magnifying glass and studied the area in and around the Lincoln National Forest area intently. I discovered some forest service roads that may have dispersed camping so that information may come in handy.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at home with my family but its time to venture out again before the snow flies!

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Comments

[bertN]

What's the current mileage on your truck? Have you had your engine rebuilt? What about your transmission? I am amazed at the durability of your truck! My Nissan truck has only 98,000 miles but I feel more comfortable renting when I do long drives, probably because I worry too much about road breakdowns as I am not mechanically inclined.

[Sojourner1208]

truck
If your truck only has 98,000 miles it's just getting broken in. A truck that is taken care of with regular oil changes and lube's etc. should last over 200,000 miles. There is a lot of fear mongering out there aimed at persuading people to trade in and get another vehicle. I do have problems from time to time but the cost of repairs after seeking out a good mechanic using reviews is much less than the cost of a truck payment , full coverage insurance, interest on a loan etc. My GMC truck currently has 340,000 miles on it and I am leaving tomorrow on another trip into the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado and will probably add a few thousand more to that.

[D MJ Binkley]

We are jealous
We'd love to be retired and exploring as you do. We live vicariously through you. The atlas does sound like a great investment. Please at the Reno balloon race to your list some day.

[Sojourner1208]

retired
Thanks. I'm so glad that I didn't wait to retire but did so the first moment I could. I've never regretted that decision ! : )