And this entire production repeated itself over and over again for more than two hours! I was so swept up in it all that I consciously lost track of every tangible aspect of my existence. I wasn’t hungry, I wasn’t thirsty, and I couldn’t tell you if I was walking or floating around the balloon field. As the last of the balloons launched from the field, Jerry found me in a glazed-eyed heap somewhere in the middle, not knowing where to go. I vaguely remember an air show immediately following the Mass Ascension, but it still remains something of a blur. What I do remember is feeling as if I had, for the first time, experienced sensory overload. So many colorful sights, penetrating sounds, and changing smells had virtually numbed my ability to absorb any more. But I was happy. Very happy. The picture of me (on the left) and Jerry, Ashley, and Carley Berger was taken by a kind but unsuspecting Japanese woman who could not even speak English, but seemed happy to accommodate our request. the anticipation that seemed to permeate the air as we I moved permanently to Albuquerque the following got closer to our destination. Everybody seemed so spring and have been at every Balloon Fiesta since that happy. first one in 1984. They have all been distinct and unique, Out of our car, milling around the field in the dark, kind for me, for one reason or another. But as I am sure is of cold, I had not the slightest idea of what was about to true for every veteran spectator, that first uninitiated happen. All I knew was that there were a lot of people exposure to this overwhelmingly magnificent event holds here and they seemed pretty happy to have gotten up so a special place in my heart. It was a memorable day that early in the morning on a Sunday. could only be described by saying, “You kinda had to be With my mind wandering in front of my feet, I was there.” suddenly jolted by a burst of sound, then warmth, Having had no preparation for what I was about to immediately behind me, as someone began testing the experience, I was fortunate to have seen and heard burner of his balloon. I had never seen anything like everything that I did. One of the program articles that this before. Never a hot-air balloon up close and never I found helpful that year was about spectator etiquette so many people up so early in the morning stumbling at the Balloon Fiesta. I later learned that there are not around on an old dirt field in the dark. many balloon rallies where spectators are allowed so Then it began. Inflation fans began roaring and close to the balloons, and so I read very carefully about colored fabric started flapping and swelling up all around the do’s and don’ts of being a spectator. Here’s what I me in the pre-dawn light. The burners spewed flames mean: into the rising air bags and my head started to spin. I lost • Dress in layers, so you can peel them off as the morning track of Jerry and his daughters and began wandering progresses. That goes for the kids, too! aimlessly amidst the most incredible array of sights and • Bring lots of extra film. Everything they’ve told you sounds I had ever experienced. It was as though acres of about how many pictures you’ll take is true. the ground had come alive and the earth was breathing! • Always watch where you’re going. It’s easy to lose The constant drone of inflation fans, punctuated by track. countless ignited burners, seemed to bring life to these • Don’t smoke around the balloons. We all know propane giant creatures who kept rising all around, as if they were is flammable, but so is nylon. waking up in a gargantuan pumpkin patch! • Don’t help the pilot or crew unless you are asked – And to top the whole scene off, the sun dramatically directly. burst over the mountains and set the entire field on fire • Be extra courteous to pilots, their crews, and your with brilliant color and dancing shadows, as the first fellow spectators. There’s plenty of sky, but ground balloons began their ascent with delighted cheers from space is limited. Be a good neighbor. the crowd. King Kong-sized balloons, anchored to the • Have the time of your life. ground, swayed to and fro as they awaited their moment to launch. Their massive forms created shapes and The last thing Pat Murphy, a traveling accountant and shadows that made the sun-drenched balloons rising house painter, could have possibly imagined in 1984 was in the background even more striking in their contrast. that, six years later, he and his newly-formed company, Each launch was replaced by yet another inflation, and On the Road Productions, would for several years become each inflation by another launch. It was dizzying! the official video producer of the Balloon Fiesta. ® 166 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta