Hello again. Our last chapter
concluded on Tuesday, October 8th when we arrived at an RV
park near Socorro, New Mexico. On Wednesday we were up and out of
bed about 6:00 a.m. so we could get on the road early. We are going
into the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta today as part of a rally put on
by the Monaco International Chapter of FMCA. Monaco International
has done this rally every year for about 20 years. They are always
in one of the VIP parking areas directly adjacent to the fifteen acre
park where the balloons are launched, so the access and views are
outstanding. We have been to the Fiesta with Monaco three times
before, with the most recent being in 2015. Our plan was to leave
about 8:30, trying to time our arrival at the Fiesta grounds so we
got there at 10:30, the earliest time you are supposed to show up to
get parked. This is because the Fiesta actually has two sessions
over nine days, the first starts on Saturday and ends on Wednesday,
the second starts on Wednesday and ends on Sunday. We are in the
second session, so Wednesday is the “switch” day when the people
where were in the parking lot for the first session leave and those
for the second session, us, go in and get set up. The balloons do a
final morning fly on Wednesday, but there are no other activities on
that day.
On two of our previous times at the
rally Jackie and I were part of the team that put the rally on. I
helped with parking and Jackie helped with cooking for the social
events. When we signed up for the rally this year it was late in the
process and they didn't need any help, so we were going in again as
just spectators. However, as we were getting ready to leave to head
to Albuquerque we got a text from the guy who is heading up the rally
asking us if we can come in early to help with parking. Some friends
of ours, Pat and Jim Goetzinger were on the advance team and
apparently Pat had gone to the hospital early this morning with chest
pains. It didn't look too serious at this time, but it meant that
Jim needed to be replaced on the parking team. We sped up our
departure and started north about 7:45 and arrived at the Fiesta
grounds right at 9:30. We got right in and got a parking spot right
on the front row, primo parking! We got the basics set up, which
didn't take too long since this rally is all dry camping, no
utilities at all. I then went out and relieved Jim so he could go to
the hospital and I helped get the remaining 70 coaches parked.
Jackie did the set up inside the coach while I was working.
By about 2:30 we had all but a handful
of stragglers parked and my work was done. We relaxed in the coach
until 4:00 when we had our first social gathering with the group.
Everyone gathered outside and the rally master gave a talk detailing
what would be going on for the next four days, going over the various
safety rules and regulations and just bringing everyone up to speed.
Probably three quarters of the attendees are first timers. We then
had some presentations by two of the balloon teams that are here for
the Fiesta. They talked about ballooning and showed off their
equipment. We then had a catered BBQ meal. Jim brought Pat back
from the hospital and we had a chance to talk to her. It turned out
to not be a heart problem and she was feeling better. She is still
not sure what the pain was, but she was relieved that it wasn't a
heart attack. After the social functions we went back to the coach
and spent the rest of the night relaxing in the coach.
Thursday, October 19th, we
were up at 6:00 to see if the balloons were going to fly today. Most
of the weather forecasts said that there was a winter cold front
moving through the area today and that the winds were going to be too
high for balloons to fly. Well, it turned out that they were
correct, the winds were so high that the balloons didn't even inflate
to stand up. About 11:00 or so we took walk down on the balloon
field so we could go through the various vendors and get a little
exercise. We also thought we might be able to get lunch, but since
the balloons didn't go up this morning, and probably wouldn't even
set up for the glow tonight, most of the food vendors were closed for
the day. We did get to see some really great wood carving. After a couple hours walking around on the field we went
back to the coach, got in the car and drove to a nearby cafe for
lunch. We ate at a place called Jimmy's on Jefferson and it was
quite good. After we ate we did a little caching, getting three new
finds. We then went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of
the afternoon. The group got together for another happy hour at
about 4:30, and after cocktails they served another meal of heavy
appetizers. One thing about this rally, you won't go hungry. We sat
out for a while, but after the sun went down it started to get pretty
chilly. As predicted the winds really picked up during the day and
it started to get colder. The winds were so high that they canceled
the sky divers for the evening as well as the “glowdeo” for the
special shapes balloons. Most evening they have what they call a
glow where the balloons inflate, but stay on the ground. That way
people can see them light up after dark. Most hot air balloons are
not certified to fly at night. However, the winds were too high for
them to even set up on the ground. The only thing that did happen on
schedule was the fireworks at 8:00. They have a great fireworks show
here every night and tonight's was really good too. After the
fireworks we watched a little TV and went to bed.
Friday, October 11th, we
again were up at 6:00 to see if the balloons would fly. There was a
little bit of wind, but not real bad, so most of the regular, normal
shape balloons, did inflate and fly. The winds were still a little
high for the special shapes, which are usually bigger and are more
difficult to fly because of the way the wind acts on the envelope.
Some of the shapes inflated, but stayed on the ground. Nonetheless,
we still had a lot of balloons in the sky. The only down side was
the cold front had come in and it was COLD! It was 34 degrees on the
field when we got up. I went outside a couple of times to take some
pictures, but I didn't stay out long. Fortunately, where we are
parked we can see most of the activity from the warm comfort of the
inside of our coach. Yea! About 11:15 we left the rally area and
drove to the El Pinto Mexican Restaurant for lunch with the group.
The Monaco Balloon Rally has been going to El Pinto during each rally
for most of the time they have been doing the rally. They set up a
big, private room for us and put out a very nice, and very tasty,
buffet lunch. During our previous 
After lunch, about 1:30, we left the
restaurant and drove to a nearby Costco. The last few evenings we
noticed that the screen on the TV in the front of the coach was
getting progressively darker and harder to see. I did a little
research and concluded that the backlights in the TV were going out.
These new LED TVs have strips of lights in the back that illuminate
the screen. For the most part, these new flat screens are not
economically repairable, so I made some calls and found that Costco
had a replacement, exactly the same size, in stock, and it was on
sale. So we went to Costco and for $159 had a new TV. We went back
home and it took me just over an hour to swap out the TVs and now we
have one that works. At 4:30 the group got together for happy hour
again. They had food out, but most people were still full from
lunch, so not too many people ate. We didn't. At 5:00 the sky
diving team made their jump and we watched them come down. We then
went back to the coach because it was still pretty chilly. The
special shapes did go onto the field and inflate tonight for the
glow, so we took some photos from the coach. We didn't feel like
going onto the field in the cold. At 7:30 the sky diving team did
another jump, in the dark, this time with fireworks packages which
they shot off as they came down. Something I have never seen before
and it was pretty neat. The fireworks show came again at 8:00 and it
was another great show. After that we watched a little TV, shut the
generator off at 10:00 and went to bed.
Saturday, October 12th, it
was still cold when we woke up at 6:00, but it was not quite as
biting as yesterday since it was about 10 degrees warmer, in the low
40's instead of the 30's. There were no clouds and very little wind,
so the balloons flew. By 8:00 the sky was filled with balloons of
every shape, size and color as far as the eye could see. In
addition, the “Albuquerque box” was working. The box is when the
surface winds are blowing south, but the upper altitude winds are
blowing north. This lets the balloons float to the south, then gain
altitude and float back to the north. We saw some balloons make the
trip three times. A number of balloons went out, came back and
landed right back on the field, within yards of where they took off.
The rally provided huge breakfast burritos this morning for the
group. One of the traditions of the Fiesta is the breakfast
burritos, normally egg, potato, bacon, andgreen chilies. The ones
we had today were just eggs, bacon and chilies, the best kind. I can
do without the potato. After all the flying was done we had the rest
of the day off, so we just relaxed around the coach. At 4:30 we got
together for happy hour and heavy appetizers again, watched the sky
divers come down, and socialize. After we went back to the coach we
watched another glow on the field and then the nightly fireworks
show. Today was a perfect Balloon Fiesta day, everything worked!
Sunday, October 13th,
departure day. However, we were still up at 6:00 because even on the
last day they have one last “mass ascension” and launch all the
balloons that come out onto the field. The wind was perfect again
and within an hour the sky was full of balloons. The rules of the
park say that no vehicles are allowed to move or leave the area while
the balloons are flying, so we all just watched the show again. The
rally provided coffee and a light breakfast of fruit and muffins.
After the balloons were all launched we went back to the coach,
showered and started packing up. By 10:00 we were packed up, hooked
up and headed for the road. It took a half hour in traffic to get to
the freeway, but we were soon on our way, headed back west to Gallup,
New Mexico, about 150 miles. We arrived at the USA RV park in Gallup
about 1:00, got checked in, parked and set up. Now we have time to
relax. We are here for two nights, then on into Arizona and another
four stops before we arrive back home in Pahrump next Tuesday. We
picked up some fried chicken for dinner and relaxed with the TV the
remainder of the night. No balloons to look at tonight, but it was a
full moon.
Monday, October 14th, we
went out after lunch to try and get a couple of geocaches, but the
only two caches in town we haven't already found were inaccessible.
One had road construction right next to it, the other was way out in
the boonies on a trail that we didn't want to tackle. We then went
to the mall and shopped for a while. Got some great bargains on
clothes at Penny's and Beales. After the mall we did a Walmart run,
then went back to the coach and relaxed. I made stuffed bell peppers
for dinner, we watched some TV and went to bed. Tuesday was a travel
day. We were packed up and on the road about 10:00, heading 120
miles west to Winslow, Arizona. We arrived at the Homolavi State
Park about noon, got parked and set up for a one night stay. Since
we were only here one night we didn't even unhook the car. We just
chilled in the coach for the rest of the day and evening.
Wednesday, October 16th, was
another travel day. Since we were only going to Williams, Arizona,
about 100 miles west, and the park we were going to had a strict
1:00pm check in time, we took our time leaving. We left Homolavi
State park at about 10:45 and drove a couple of miles to the Flying J
truck stop in Winslow to get fuel. After fueling the coach we parked
and went inside to Denny's for breakfast. We were back out and on
the road at noon and arrived in Williams at the Grand Canyon Railroad
RV Park about 1:30. We got checked in, parked and set up, then
relaxed for the rest of the day. We did go out briefly to scout a
laundromat because our plan is to do our laundry tomorrow. We spent
the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach.
Thursday, October 17th, we
left the coach after lunch and went to do our laundry. After a
couple hours we were finished, so we did a little geocaching in
Williams, getting four new finds. After our caching we went back to
the coach, put everything away, and stayed in for the rest of the day
and evening. Friday was yet another travel day. We were packed up
and on the road by about 10:00, continuing west 110 miles to Kingman,
Arizona. We arrived at the Sunrise RV park in Kingman about 12:30,
got checked in and parked, and had lunch. After lunch we went out
and did some exploring and geocaching. We haven't stayed in Kingman
very often so we haven't seen much of this city of nearly 30,000.
Kingman was founded in the late 1800's as a railroad town and was the
home for a major Army Air Corps training base during WWII. After the
war the base served as one of the largest reclamation centers for
surplus military aircraft.
Today the town's economy is mainly
tourism as it is the largest city between Flagstaff and Barstow on
Interstate 40 and also serves as a sort of gateway to the Las Vegas
area, which is only about 90 miles northwest. It's most famous
“favorite son” is actor Andy Devine, whose father opened one of
the largest hotels in town in the 1940's. It's most infamous
“celebrity” was Timothy McVie, the Oklahoma City Bomber, who
lived in Kingman for a couple of years just prior to his bombing of
the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The city was also the scene
of the 1973 explosion of a rail car propane tank which killed 11
firefighters, a rail worker and an Arizona State Highway Patrolman,
and injured dozens more. The car was parked on a siding near
downtown when static electricity ignited gas escaping from a small
hairline crack in the side of the tank. Firefighters responded and
were fighting the fire by trying to cool the tank, however the
expanding gas first caused a valve to fail, increasing the fire to
the point where the propane boiled and finally caused the tank to
explode. The explosion was felt and heard five miles away and
created a brief, 1000 foot fireball which enveloped the entire
rail-yard. This remained the worst Arizona public safety employee
tragedy until 2013 when 13 firefighters were lost in a forest fire
north of Phoenix.
We explored the historic downtown area
and did some geocaching, getting six new finds and no DNFs. We then
visited the Kingman Elks Lodge, which is number 468, chartered in
1899. Their old, classic three story stone Lodge building is still
located downtown, however some years ago the built a new lodge
building in the northern fringe of the town. There were quite a few
people in the bar and they were very friendly, one of them giving me
a tour of the building. They still have a dedicated lodge room in
the new building with the furnishings and decorations from their old
place downtown. It was a very pretty lodge room, which are becoming
more scarce. Most lodges today have their meetings in multipurpose
rooms. We had a cocktail, visited with some of the members and
actually got a new lodge pin for our banner. After our lodge visit
we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Saturday, October 19th, we
left the coach about noon and went to lunch at a nearby Jimmy Johns
sandwich shop. We have been wanting to try one of these places for a
while. The food was quite good, better than Subway in my opinion.
After lunch we did some geocaching, getting eight new finds and one
DNF in a couple of hours. After caching we did a Walmart run, then
went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Sunday was another travel day. We left Kingman about 10:30 and
headed northwest towards Boulder City, Nevada, about 90 miles. The
drive was a bit hairy as the wind was blowing pretty hard, but we
arrived at the Boulder City Elks Lodge around 12:30. We had a
reserved spot, so we quickly got parked. This is a nice lodge in a
building built in the 30's as the terminal for the first commercial
airport in the Las Vegas valley. They have 15 full hookup sites with
50 amp. We got the basics set up and went out to an IHOP in nearby
Henderson for lunch, then went to Great Clips where we both got
haircuts. After our errands we went back to the coach, finished
setting up the inside, then relaxed for the rest of the day.
Monday, October 21st, we
left the coach about noon and drove to central Las Vegas to meet my
brother Russ and his wife Zen for lunch. Russ lives here in Las
Vegas and has since the 80's. He works at the Golden Nugget Casino
downtown and has Sunday and Monday off, so we thought it would be
nice to see them since we were here in town. We met at Applebee's
and had a very nice lunch talked for a couple hours. After our visit
we did some errands. We first stopped at the Sunrise Hospital to
pick up the video disk and records from Jackie's angiogram earlier
this year. We then went to the Costco in Henderson to pick up some
stuff. There are no “big box” stores in Pahrump so we have to
come down to Vegas to get anything from Costco or Sams Club. After
our Costco run we went back to the coach and we stayed in for the
rest of the evening.
Tuesday, October 22nd,
another travel day, but our last with the coach for a couple of
months. We left the Boulder City Elks about 10:00 and headed on the
last 77 mile leg across Las Vegas, over the hill and into our “home
town” of Pahrump, Nevada. Yea! We left Pahrump almost exactly
four months ago in June to start our summer travels. We arrived at
the Wine Ridge RV Resort about noon, got checked in and parked. We
spent the rest of the afternoon getting set up for our two month
stay. We love to travel, but we love to just be in one place for a
while too, especially Pahrump.
This officially closes out our summer
travels for 2019 and is a great place to close this chapter and get
it published. Until next time, ponder the words of baseball great
Yogi Berra. “If you don’t know where you are going, you might
wind up someplace else.” See ya soon.
Just some of the great photos we took at the Fiesta.
