Las Cruces and giant ass balloons.

So! It's been forever since I last wrote something here and for that I really apologize as I'm sure you were all DEVASTATED by not knowing what I was doing every waking minute. Even so, I've been irreversibly lazy and since tomorrow I start a new chapter in my life I thought it might be fitting to finish the last one first. I'll try to keep the summary brief but first things first.

A few days after my last posting, I drove with my grandmother to Las Cruses, NM, which is in the southern part of the state. It worked out well because she gets reimbursed by her company for miles. And we didn't spend as much in gas as we got reimbursed for and she gave the rest to me so i basically got paid $150 for driving her there. The town itself was nice. In a nearby town we saw the courthouse where supposedly Billy the Kid was tried and sentenced to death. I went hiking in a canyon not far, and saw the ruins of an old resort/hotel built by General van Patten in the early 1900s. The buildings were, mostly dilapidated but it was still pretty cool to see. The next day we left and drove back to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Every year in Albuquerque, there is something called the Balloon Fiesta. It's a giant party and hot air balloon teams from all over the world gather and launch their balloons at this fiesta. So, I decided I had to check it out, cause it's the worlds largest collection of floating nylon and polyester. Anyway, the balloons take off at dawn and to see them set up you have to be there even earlier. So, I managed to rouse myself at 5 in the morning and got out the door by 5:30 and drove the hour to Albuquerque. On the way there it started to rain, just a few sprinkles at first, and then harder and harder. I finally got there, the sky still dark, and found a place to park, anticipation mounting enough to stay away sleepiness. When I got to the entrance the woman at the gate said in an inappropriately cheery tone: "All the events have been canceled, but the vendors are still open and you can look around if you like". Irked but unwilling to turn around and drive back after I'd gotten up at 5 in the morning, I went inside. They had giant tents filled with arts and crafts, and long rows of booths selling souveniers and food. Fun fact: the original breakfast burrito made it's debut at this Balloon fiesta. Anyway, I got myself an original breakfast burrito and walked around the empty field, trying to imagine what it would look like if it had been filled with hundreds of hot air balloons, not as easy as you might think. When wearyness set in I got some coffee and waited for the rain to go away already! It only got worse and after four hours of waiting I decided to call it a day and head back to Santa Fe. Incidentally the sun came out the second I got back.

The next day, I again pushed myself out at bed before dawn (much harder the second time). And drove back to the balloon park. This time, I listened to the weather report the whole way down, kinda resenting the fact that I had skipped my coffee that morning, and when I got there, they were taking my money to let me park my car, a good sign. I didn't know where to get tickets so I asked the guy at the gate. After I bought my ticket and was about the go in, this girl offered me a free Monster coffee. Thinking "HELL YEA!" I said sure...casually. Then I went to enter the park and went to the same guy who had told me where to buy the tickets. The guy looked down at my ticket and said "Oh, I'm sorry sir, this ticket is not valid." I looked at him with anger mingled with confusion and embarrassment. Considering how early it was, it took me a lot longer than it should have to realize he was joking. But I finally did, smiled broadly and promptly said "Fuck you" and walked in.

It's hard to describe what it feels like to be on a field filled with 600 hot air baloons of all shapes and sizes filling up like massive lungs until they finally leave the ground, except to say that you fell really really small. The teams use giant fans to fill them up part way and then use what can only be described as flamethrower to fill the rest of the balloon with hot air. There were hundred of different shapes from Pepe la Peu, to Stewie Griffin, from the Energizer Bunny, to Darth Vader, it was truly awe inspiring. I filled my memory card with pictures. I'm sure when I look back on them I'm going to wonder why but for now at least, I completely understand for you never want to forget such a spectacle.

Around 10:00 the balloons landed and there was literally nothing scheduled for the rest of the day until after sunset. So unless I wanted to play in the bouncy house for 8 hours (tempting, I know) I had nothing to do. So I left and went back to Santa Fe for the rest of the afternoon and went back for the night festivities. They filled all the balloons back up and replaced the more fuel efficient fuel with brighter burning fuel. Once the sun fell, the crowd did multiple countdowns and the balloons lit up like firefly's. It was pretty cool and I seeing the shapes glow at night was really cool, but I'd be lying if I said I was truly impressed. They didn't take off from the ground and they weren't lit up for very long. Still, it was really cool. Finalizing the day was a firework display. I laid down in the grass to watch it and almost got run over by a truck. I didn't lay down again.

So those are the big events I've done in the past week and half or so. I then got in my car and drove the 7 hours back to Boulder,CO and have been staying with my sister ever since. Tomorrow I leave at 9:00 to report to the Denver Campus for initiation into Americorps. I am unspeakably nervous, but also anxious to get it started because I know once I do I will love it. It's been such a long process that I can't believe it's over, it'll feel weird to actually do something rather than preparing for it. In any case, tomorrow I start my 10 month commitment to community service. Lets Go.