March 2013 42
Balloon Fiesta
-Eamon Decker
Then there were the vendor tents that are found at any event in the Southwest; selling Native American pottery, jewelry, and crafts, along with the cheesy souvenirs catering to tourists who want to take home a Balloon Fiesta bottle opener or a mass-produced plastic bracelet with their name printed on it. In a nutshell, you can pretty much buy anything you want here. Anyway, I walked out onto the huge mowed field and saw the ground-tethered balloons taking shape as the pilots were testing their burners. many more balloons were lying on the ground, looking like huge sheets of colorful fabric. The first hint of daylight crept above the Sandia Mountains, and the National Anthem was played over the loudspeakers. I was getting very excited now, waiting for the balloons to take to
the sky. It was a cloudy morning with a fairly stiff wind. A few minutes passed, then an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Due to the high wind, the balloons will not be taking off, and will remain tethered to the ground until further notice." That was upsetting. I got some donuts from a food trailer, and walked through the field looking at the grounded balloons as the sun rose over the Sandias. There was no sign that the wind would let up, so I got in the car and decided to drive up to Santa Fe on State Highway 4, winding through the mountains. Shortly after turning off the main highway onto Route 4, I passed by the Native American village of Jemez Pueblo. The dirt roads leading from the highway were lined with adobe houses, some crumbling, and some were