Friday, October 6, 2017

On our way -- Balloon Fiesta !


It didn’t take too long to get settled into our little nook in Arizona.  Temperatures have been HOT but the air conditioners have done a good job of keeping up.  We just wish we could turn it down a little outside.   The mornings and evenings are perfect and we know cooler daytime temperatures are ahead. 



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Our daughter, Tammi, decided to fly in and see what our Arizona arrangement was.  It was nice to have her.  We had breakfast with Grandma, visited the Mesa Swap Meet, enjoyed a delicious seafood buffet, shopped at Hobby Lobby.  Before long, the weekend was over and it was time for her to head back.  It was also time for us to start getting ready for our adventure to New Mexico. 





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Our little “gadabout” trailer was first unpacked from our Washington trip and put in storage.  Since then we’ve been packing it up for the Balloon Fiesta.  We had booked an RV park outside of Albuquerque for a couple nights beginning on Friday.  However, we know how our plans usually work.  They usually get changed.  Friday was to be a 380 mile day arriving at the park late afternoon.  Then, the weather man got involved and predicted wind gusts over 40 mph along our route. Everything changed after that.



Thursday morning after Terry was out of bed I sprung the “idea” of leaving a day early and by 10:00 AM we were on the road.  Of course, that meant the refrigerator in our gadabout trailer wasn’t cooled down but it’s amazing how fast two blocks of ice can do just that.  It’s also amazing how fast you can move when you want too.  The good thing was other than food items pretty much everything else was already in the little trailer.



We were on the road again.  This time it was Hwy 87 to Hwy 260 and on to Holbrook.  Ever travel that route?  It was another up and down and up and down trip.  Obviously it’s not my favorite route.



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Our stop for the night was the KOA pulling into the park about the same time a dozen other rigs did!  I’m thinking they all had reservations and were on the way to the Balloon Fiesta too.  Well, we didn’t have reservations at the KOA but they did have a spot for us.  Whee!  It was only a one night stop but it was in a perfect location. 

KOA  ------>   




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     KOA Snack Bar













The next morning we had a 7:00 AM departure but only about 170 miles to go.   Our early departure was to insure we would arrive at our next stop before the strong winds came in.   Those winds sure did blow!20171006_102512



  New Mexico terrain ------>   












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When we first arrived at our RV park it was nearly empty.  However, it was booked solid that night with all the RVs heading towards the balloon fiesta.  The price was right ($19.68 per night) and location perfect.  The RV park is owned by the Sky City Hotel and Casino.  It was fairly new and all the sites were pull thrus.  









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Ever have to initial a place on a sign-in form agreeing not to bring alcohol on the premises?  This place does not allow alcohol.  We thought very unusual for a casino.





Sandie and Jim are arriving Friday and on Monday we’ll pull into the grounds of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta!  We both will be able to check it off our “bucket list”.   Woot!  Woot!   I read it's the most photographed event in the world.  Hopefully, no crazies are there!  Now you know why the temporary blog topper.



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We’re no longer concerned about the heat.  The winds are bringing in much cooler weather.  Temperature tonight is expected to drop down to 37f !!  The good thing is that tomorrow it’ll be back up in mid-70’s.



‘Tis life on the road!


4 comments:

  1. Looks like a nice park. But very strange casino. See you tomorrow.

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  2. Have fun. Sounds like a nice little park for the money.

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  3. Cute header photo.
    No alcohol! We won't be staying there. We have 4 boxes of our homemade wine.
    You will love that event. We volunteered for the whole event. It was awesome. They treat their volunteers so well. Have a great time!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment.