Last Saturday I woke up early to see the launching of hot air balloons at the Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Festival.
As it turned out, the back up on the interstate to get to the balloon festival was too long for me to wait, so instead I decided to track down the balloons as they landed. This was much more fun besides.
Below are some of the pictures and people that I met that morning.
From Google Maps
From Breckenridge, Colorado, I headed south through Leadville.
Leadville is another ski town but less well know then Breckenridge or Vail.
As with so many towns I had ridden through in Colorado, the vistas have been beautiful.
After Leadville, I motored partially up RT 82 toward Aspen. The leaves were changing and the colors were intense. I didn’t ride all the way to Aspen though. I decided to just take my time today and enjoy the outdoors and make stops at my convenience.
At Twin Lakes along Rt 82, you could see many of the colors of fall in the mountain side.
I spent the night at Great Sand Dunes Natl. Park and Reserve near Alamosa. Evidently water from the mountains washed the sand down to this area. Over the years, the elements created the sand dunes.
Satellite image from Google Maps
It rained right after I set up my tent near the dunes. The weather was such that it rain down by me but snowed up in the mountains just a little bit away
The next day I rode back to Albuquerque to see some of the Albuquerque Balloon Festival before I head back east. I’ll get some pictures posted shortly.
This morning I motored to the ski country of Breckinridge, CO. What a beautiful ride it was. I love approaching new mountain ranges. It can give you a real sense of how tall the Rockies are by the amount of time it takes to reach the base of the mountain.
I made some altitude again today, but not nearly as high as Pikes Peak. This was the second time I crossed the Continental Divide
I arrived in Breckenridge in early afternoon and ate at Bubba Gump’s Restaurant and Market.A little cheesy yes, but I had a good grilled fish sandwich none the less.
Not much action was going on in Breckenridge quite frankly. It’s off season obviously but it’s a pretty town.
The town was too pricey for me to stay the night. The predicted freezing weather kept me from camping this evening so I got a room at a motel in the nearby town of Frisco
Tomorrow I am going to head south back to Albuquerque. I will make a couple more stops along the way.
In Albuquerque, I plan to do some minor maintenance on my bike and see the first day of the Albuquerque Balloon Festival before I head back to Ohio.
.
