April 2015
When we arrived in Albuquerque, we took a ride on the Sandia Peak Tramway to the top of the Sandia Mountains. The ride took us from 6,500 feet to 10,300 feet above sea level. This video shows one of the tram cars departing the upper station. NOTE: There is no sound since I removed the deafening wind noise.
The highlight of our trip to New Mexico was a hot air balloon flight in Albuquerque. We met at the Rainbow Ryders office very early in the morning for a launch just after sunrise. Lifting off in a balloon is exactly as exciting as you might imagine and then some. (If you’re afraid of heights, it’s still a ton of fun because the balloon is a much more stable platform than you’d expect.) We flew low over the Rio Grande River and the expensive homes of Rio Rancho. Our pilot managed to land us right at Balloon Fiesta Park (a perfect landing spot and the location of Albuquerque’s annual massive balloon festival) as we watched other balloons landing in Indian territory or out in the desert.
As we took off from Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) to head home, I spent a little bit of time playing with the iPhone’s time-lapse recording. I had it against the window of the plane so you don’t see much when the plane banks to turn left, but you do get a glimpse of the Sandia Mountains as we pass over them.