Vacation Anyone?!

So we did the unthinkable…went on vacation right after moving. The house was (and still is) stacked with boxes in just about every room. But we wanted to take advantage of spending time with my folks in Pagosa Springs and seize the opportunity to get away before we hit the holiday season. My parents were gracious to offer the use of a timeshare condo there. We stayed in Pagosa for about four nights (took David out of school) and then made the trek to Albuquerque to see the final weekend of their annual Balloon Fiesta. And I can honestly say we underestimated how incredible the balloon festival would be.

At the Balloon Fiesta, they allow you onto the field where all the balloons are inflated and launched. So on Saturday, prior to their “mass ascension” which entailed close to 700 balloons, we woke early in the morning with the boys and made our way to the field (taking a Park & Ride shuttle is definitely the way to go). We were able to get up close to several balloons being pulled out and inflated. We were so engrossed in watching one particular balloon get setup that we failed to realize that balloons all around us were doing the same. Before we knew it, we were completely surrounded by hot air balloons that were progressively launching and being blown to the north. It was truly breath taking. The boys loved watching all the odd shaped balloons in the sky: a large cow, a Wells Fargo Wagon, Humpty Dumpty, Spiderman, Darth Vader, a lighthouse, and a host of others.

We would strongly recommend this as a fun family vacation for all those with young children, if you can manage to wake between 4:30 – 5:00 a.m.