>From: Ken Akerman <ken@highpointer.com>
>Reply-To: listserv@azgeocaching.com
>To: listserv@azgeocaching.com
>Subject: [Az-Geocaching] Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta: Consult
>New Mexico Geocachers forum on Yahoo! Groups
>Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 12:59:46 -0700 (PDT)
>
>The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta begins tomorrow and runs
>through Oct. 12. For >balloonists like Team RopingTheWind, this Fiesta is
>the best place in the world to be right now. >However, I expect that
>available hotel rooms in the Albuquerque area must be in very short supply
>at >this time.
Actually, for me... the Fiesta is not the place to be right now. :) That is
one event I have never had an interest in. I am one of the few balloonist
who will admit to that. I know several others who used to attend Fiesta and
dont anymore either. The Fiesta gets 850 balloons! Alot of balloons! A
little too many IMHO. The event is more of a social/fun flying event than a
competition. The competition is not sanctioned and the first place price
last year was a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Now anyone who knows me knows
that I am not the type to be found on top of a HD motorcycle! Besides, I
would rather have the cash! :) They used to pay out prize money, but turned
to prizes instead. Second place last year was two round trip tickets on AA
airlines. I personally dont care to fly the friendly skies in a jet plane
these days. :) Third place was a laptop computer. Now that would be a nice
prize. But, a whole weeks worth of flying and the couple thousand dollars it
costs me to operate my balloon for a week... well, the laptop just doesnt
cut it! :) I could stay home and buy one and still come out way ahead! :)
But, balloon fiesta isnt attended by pilots for the competition, but rather
the huge get together that it is. I just prefer competition. (not that I am
a really competitive person or anything) ;)
I need to be here making money with my business this time of year. When I go
out of town for balloon events, I only attend sanctioned competitions. I
gain points toward a national ranking at these events. They often times pay
great prize money. Last summer, I competed in the NABA National
Championships. 40 balloons and $40,000 prize money. Most events I attend pay
anywhere from 5k to 60k prize money and anywhere from 20-60 or so balloons.
Compare that to 850 balloons competing for prizes and no cash. I will be in
Albuqurque the weekend after Fiesta (18-19) competing in a sanctioned
competition hosted by the Top Gun competiton club of NM. This event (held
3rd weekend of each month), is also held at Balloon Fiesta Park.
That is cool to see that there are a couple of geocaches right near Fiesta
Park. I have never done any caching out of state and prefer to cache in
AZ... but, if there was a hot air balloon themed cache somewhere in ALBQ, I
might just be so inclined to seek it out! :)
There, I said the word 'geocache'... rendering this post proper for this
forum. :) LOL
Well, it is good to be back in Arizona after 3 months in Washington. I must
admit, it is freakin' hot out there! I guess I was getting too acclimated to
the great NW weather. But, I did manage to get 6 caches this afternoon! Back
to the grind of urban caching. :/
Scott
Team Ropingthewind
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