Friday, October 7, 2016

Balloon Fiesta Rides

Tuesday's Ride to Pep Boys and Back

Thursday's Early Morning Ride to Balloon Fiesta Track

Wednesday Night Tracking

We've put in a few hours on the Tandem Terratrike this week.
Tuesday evening I rode it over the I-25 overpass to Pep Boys to pick up a new low beam headlight bulb for Jacque's Subaru.  A short ride, indeed, but a good stiff climb to get up and down the bike path overpass at I-25.
Wednesday morning we decided to make the tandem actually function as a tandem and rode over to participate in the morning's balloon launches.  We got  there almost an hour after the balloons had already started  to launch, but there were still at least a hundred or more balloons on  the ground in process of inflating and launching, so we got to see plenty of up-close action.  We had a couple of expensive but delicious world famous Balloon Fiesta Breakfast Burritos, some Diet Coke to wash it down, and then a warm Cinnamon Roll to counteract the effects of the Diet Soda.  No tummy-aches, so all went well.
We left the doggies behind in the RV since we worried they would be unduly alarmed at the roar of the burners inflating all the balloons.   They forgave us, but barely.
Riding the bike trail into Balloon Fiesta is the only way to fly.  That morning there was very little other traffic, lots of places to park and lock the trike once we got there, and for some reason, there were no ticket sellers  or ticket takers when we walked in.  Maybe they all wandered away from their posts to watch the balloons.
We hiked clear across the park to find the ham radio tent, encountering thousands of people and all kinds of balloons along the way.  I was scheduled to operate my radios for the SCAT net (Senior Citizens And Travelers) from Balloon Fiesta on Friday and Saturday, but every security guy we talked  to said there was no way to allow the trike on the field itself.   So the Friday net was conducted from the RV instead.  Maybe I  can obtain some kind of   advance waiver next time, IF there  is a next time.
Then, Wednesday night, we did another first, and rode over for our first Balloon Glow.  It was well worth the effort.
This time we took Lilly and Tinkerbell, which was fun but cumbersome what with all the crowding and noises.  We planned to eat a Navajo Taco while there, which turned out to be a mistake.  EVERY food vendor had  lines with at least a hundred people waiting - especially at the  vendors selling Mexican fare.
Jacque got in line at Fenrico's (SP?) and I got in  line at the vendor 2 stalls away, hoping one line would move faster than the others.  The plan was to call each other on the cell phone when either of us got up to the front and got served.  My line was longer and it took forever.  I was low on blood sugar, a bit spacey, and desperate for some carbs or we would have given up and gone  back to the RV for supper.  The balloon glows actually ran out of time and closed before we got to purchase anything.  ZILLIONS of people, with food lines so long we had to continually open up  so walkers and baby buggies etc. could get  past us.
I was  mildly shocked  when I finally got to the window, so I tried to call Jacque, but too many people with too many cell phones.... I called her several times but it never got through.  So I  handed over $12 for the so called Indian Taco.  I was holding Tinkerbell in one arm and trying to get to my wallet with the other, not daring to put her down on the ground with all the food scraps for her to gorge upon.   I put  on  quite a show for everyone within view. Finally I got the dish in one hand with Tink in  the other and fought my way back to an eating stand.  I tried Jacque several more  times to no avail.  I expected her to walk up at any time with ANOTHER Navajo Taco, but suddenly my phone rang, she had noticed missed calls and called me back.
When she came over and we started to eat our treat, we wished she HAD gotten another one, since the one I'd just wasted 12 bucks on was (1) cold, barely warm, (2) lacking any beans, (3) NO CHILI AT ALL, (4) VERY few chunks of meat.  Just shredded lettuce, no onions, some shredded cold cheese, BAH.   I wish I could recall the name of the place to warn everyone to avoid them, but I can't.  I doubt we'll EVER try to find a Navajo Taco at Balloon Fiesta in the future.  Our NM State Fair may be dwindling in size  but, by George, they know how to make REAL Navajo Tacos there, and for far more reasonable prices. (It helps when it's a Navajo lady making the taco in front of your eyes!)
Escaping Balloon Glow was another challenge.  Though we moved faster than drivers in  vehicles (stopped more than moving), there were hundreds of pedestrians and  baby strollers who had used the bike path to arrive and were literally clogging the  pathway blissfully unaware of the  dozens of cyclists trapped behind them hoping to get through.   Many cyclists had given up and were just walking their bikes instead of trying to get around into the clear.  After  much twisting, braking, and dodging, we cyclists were able to get out into the open bike path and actually spread  out and make good progress towards home.

Final Ride Started: 6:13 PM    Ride Ended:  9:08 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.2   Ending Voltage: 13.1  Lowest:  12.9
Lowest Temp  57 F      Highest Temp:  67 F  
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  8.37
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
   5.7 MPH                             6.4 MPH                   19.0 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
2 hours 55 mins                    1 hour 18 mins          1 hour 20 mins

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