- 2017 Balloon Fiesta, Part 1: Special Shapes
- 2017 Balloon Fiesta Special Shapes
- 2017 Balloon Fiesta
2017 Balloon Fiesta: A Little Bit of Everything
2017 Balloon Fiesta Wrap-Up: although the morning mass ascensions last roughly two hours, they contain so much to see! First of all are the “simple” balloons. And then come the “special shapes.” Of course, people of all kinds, along with vendors, pilots and the chase crews, and on and on are there. I have already posted a few of the special shapes. Today I’ll post a few of the “sky jewels.” Most of all, I want to try to give readers a sense of the entire experience.
2017 Slideshow
The slideshow contains 84 images from the Mass Ascension on October 7, 2017. While you may not have been there, I hope this gives a sense of the experience. You may view in full screen by clicking on the icon at the bottom right. You may also control the volume or mute entirely.
If you prefer, you may view the 84 images on one page (or separately) in the Gallery.
Some 2017 “Sky Jewels”
While the “regular” balloons are sometimes called “plain,” they are anything but. Rather, they are very bright and colorful! These are just a few of my favorites.
2017: A Perfect Fiesta
Although winds for tomorrow’s Mass Ascension remain in question, the weather this week has been unbelievably good for the balloons. Especially relevant is that all events, so far, have gone off as scheduled. If you could not be here for the Fiesta – or even if you were – I hope you enjoy the images.
The motorcycle is super and a surprise. I was not expecting a Kawasaki road racer. The baby carriage is weird. Laurie got a shot of it with her phone the other day. Great set of balloon photos.
Hi, Tim. I’m glad you like the motorcycle! That is the only shot I have of the baby carriage…maybe next year…I had to laugh at myself when I started processing these. I did portraits of people; so many of my flowers are floral “portraits.” And I realized most of these images were “balloon portraits.” What can I say? I guess that’s what I do. 🙂 )))))))))
I am impressed with the engineering of the special shapes. Some of them look like they might never fly.
Hi, Elena! Thanks for dropping by! After rnthwrld14 let us know the new, huge motorcycle balloon actually did fly once, I guess I have to say that, under the right conditions, most, if not all, can fly. Frequently, however, some will inflate so we can see them, but will stay on the balloon field. Some that come to mind right away are the Stork balloon, owned by a fellow Ob/Gyn. It has flown, but more often than not is tethered. The Wells Fargo stagecoach is more often than not tethered, as is Clarabell the cow. But, I have seen them fly. The doc who owns the stork has other balloons that are much easier to fly. The first office party when I started in practice was a balloon ride in early morning, followed by catered breakfast along the Rio Grande, in the bosque. He brought his smaller, simpler, and easier-to-fly balloons rather than the Stork. So nice to see you here! Thank you!
We have our balloon fest over the Labor Day Weekend. The only special shape that flew over the house was an alien from outer space. Or, was it a crab? Still have to work on processing them. One year, the mansion that Malcolm Forbes flew came but it was decided they wouldn’t fly due to wind concerns. A few years ago, came T-Rex, the Sinclair Oil dino, When Pigs Fly, and the Energizer bunny. The crew for the bunny said they have so many requests every year, but only choose to fly only six times a year since the maintenance on their balloon envelop is tremendous.
Hi, David. I know the When Pigs Fly has come here, and also the Energizer Bunny. I’m not sure about the others you mention; they could have come years/days I did not attend. Here it is not uncommon for many of the special shapes to inflate, so we can see them, but not launch. This year we had a new one, a very large motorcycle, that we all thought would not launch here. It did not launch when I was out there, but I heard later that it did launch on another day. They are all wonderful, and I appreciate the time, effort, and expense the balloon owners go to in bringing the fun to the various places they visit.
Thanks for stopping by!