On the edge of “the box”

There are hundreds if not a thousand RVs parked as far as the eye can see in all directions .

When we rolled into this immense parking area used for RV camping at Balloon Fiesta here in Albuquerque I was worried that we’d be shoe-horned into a spot between an RV with a noisy/smoky generator on one side and  a bunch of small ankle-biting yapping dogs on the other.

We are “boon-docking”, meaning that we have no water, electric or sewer connections.  We run our generator about 6 – 8 hours each day and we conserve water as much as possible.  Whenever we shower we usually run through about 1.5 to 2 gallons of water before it become comfortable enough to shower.  Here we capture that water in a bucket and use it to flush the toilet.

We really lucked out. We are parked right on the edge of an area referred to as “The Box” where some balloons will land.  On one side there is a well-maintained motorhome about 15 feet away and on the other side there is a gap of at least 60 feet.
We had a prime location this morning to watch landings.  It was really neat.

One of our favorite balloons is Jack in the Box.  Here he is ready to land in The Box.

We noticed that some balloon chase crews have a humongous sheet of fabric they use to protect the balloon surfaces from sharp rocks and other stuff on the ground that might damage the balloon.  Here you can see some of the crew getting this protective cloth into place.

Here is Jack’s home on wheels.  I like ours much better.
And now for some more aerial beauties:

This mini balloon got stuck between our mirror and windshield.













This evening we are invited to Mike and Bev Heine’s “home” for a halibut dinner.  Mike caught the halibut when they were in Alaska this summer.  After that and at dusk some of the balloons will be illuminated from within by their propane burners.  Could make for some unique photos.

Stay tuned.