Balloon Park Ride Tracking via APRS and Ham Radio
I woke up this Monday Morning about 5:05 and speedily leaped out of bed about 5:25.
Honest. I just closed my eyes for a second there.....
Balloon Fiesta started last Saturday, day before yesterday, and thus far the weather has permitted launching of most of the balloons.
It had rained on and off part of the night last night, but as I looked outside all I could see was clear sky and stars, so I assumed it would be a great balloon morning.
I thought I should take a ride up TO the Balloon Park just to see how they were handling bike entries, parking in general, etc. Jacque and I plan to ride there to actually go in and participate on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I needed the early morning ride and was curious to see how many bikes might be clogging the normally-mostly-empty bike trail going into the park.
Believe me, THIS is the way to attend Balloon Fiesta. I encountered NO other cyclists as I rode to and entered the park, there were NO traffic jams blocking the route, unlike all automotive streets leading to or nearby the park, and it was. just. cool. As I entered the actual Balloon Park entry on the west end of the Balloon Park, there were no roadblocks, no orange barrels, nobody demanding payment..... just a few THOUSAND vehicles jammed in together, many blocking the bike path through the park, and lots of bright lights. There was an Albuquerque small city bus trying to wend its way through the throngs of people, and I merely turned around, looked around a bit, and rode back out from whence the way I came.
THEN I must have met twenty or more cyclists heading for and into the parkway, and all friendly enough to respond to my greetings.
I'm sure there's a gatekeeper demanding payment to go further into the park, but getting there is sure painless compared to trying to drive or wait for the bus.
All that enthusiasm and then they didn't fly. The breezes that seemed gentle enough to me evidently were too dangerous for the balloon pilots. The official explanation for cancelling the launches today was " wind ".
Oh, well, still several more days of fiesta left. Hopefully tomorrow....
Ride Started: 6:51 AM Ride Ended: 7:54 AM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.1 Ending Voltage: 12.9 Lowest: 12.2
Lowest Temp 60 F Highest Temp: 64 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 8.13
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
6.9 MPH 7.5 MPH 20.0 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 10 mins 1 hour 5 mins 5 minutes
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