Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Day 2

So by the second day of our weekend trip, we had figured out the traffic situation a bit. Which means we woke up at three in the morning (that's 2am in Arizona time!).  Although it wasn't fun to be up that early, it was totally worth it. We got a parking spot that was decently close to the park, and everything was open at 4:30am. Morning glow was gorgeous and it was great to have another day watching the balloons launch.

Morning Glow :)

Sunrise over the Sandias

 The perfect way to sum up the end of the weekend

What We Ate:

Breakfast - Croissant from Dunkin Donuts

Lunch - Subway

Dinner - I was asleep by this time!

What I Was Glad I Brought:

Walking Shoes

Gatorade

A blanket - great for laying back and watching the balloons, also great for keeping yourself warm at four in the morning.

What I wish I brought:

Sunscreen

A sarong

(I totally got sunburnt while driving back to Phoenix! Apparently I can get sun burnt just by sitting in a car :/)

Would I recommend this trip:

Absolutely! Be prepared for a lack of sleep though. :)

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Day 1

My friend and I left from Phoenix around 6:00pm and drove to Albuqueque - it took about seven hours, which means we got there at 1:00am. After accounting for the time difference, that means we got in at 2:00am... yikes! We did stop along the way to stargaze which was amazing! Nothing like stopping in the middle of nowhere to see the milky way. I even saw a shooting star. :)

Although we only got three hours of sleep, the festival was definitely worth it! There were around 550 balloons there the day we went.

There was such a large variety of balloons

 Balloons ready to go!

The balloon festival has morning and evening festivities, so after a lunch at Frontier, we spent the middle of the day taking a tram on the Sandia mountains. (Frontier was super yummy, but also very spicy, for those of you who have a low spice tolerance [like me!])The tram takes you up to over 10,000 ft. above sea level, so there is an amazing view from the top!

The Sandia Mountains

We waited in line for almost two hours, but it was worth it. If you plan on going, bring water and sunscreen though! I definitely got a sunburn waiting in line.

Here comes the tram!

Not for those afraid of heights

The view from the top

After our rendevous on the mountain, we headed back to the festival. Parking was atrocious, so we made it just barely in time for the fireworks.

What We Ate:

Breakfast - Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Muffin

Lunch - Burritos at Frontier. My friend had Carne Adobada (spicy) and I had beans and cheese (not so spicy).

Dinner - Fried mac and cheese (yum!) and the most amazing funnel cake every (more yum!)

What I wish I brought:

Chapstick

Sunscreen

Water bottles

Would I recommend it:

Absolutely! I've never been to anything like it and it was beautiful.

I'll share Day 2 of our trip with you soon! Have any of you ever been to the  Albuquerque balloon fiesta? What did you think?