Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is soon. Any tips or comments?

We spent a week at the Fiesta in 2013 and had a great time. A great way to enjoy it up close and personal is to volunteer as a crew member. I did that and really enjoyed learning more about balloons. The pilot I crewed for rewarded me with a ride my last day there.

You can sign up in advance of the Fiesta, which is what I did, or you can just show up early each morning and volunteer for any pilot who is short-handed that morning.

Here is an article I wrote about our fun-filled week, along with pictures.

Have a great time!

Ted H.

Could not find if you have a Gen-turi type device for your generator. You will be parked close together assuming you are not stay at a CG miles away or at a site with power. Here is a recent post on them.
We will be there and they start early with the balloon flights so it can be cold to start and then warm up a lot.
The above link gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect.

wxtoad wrote:
We spent a week at the Fiesta in 2013 and had a great time. A great way to enjoy it up close and personal is to volunteer as a crew member. I did that and really enjoyed learning more about balloons. The pilot I crewed for rewarded me with a ride my last day there.

You can sign up in advance of the Fiesta, which is what I did, or you can just show up early each morning and volunteer for any pilot who is short-handed that morning.

Here is an article I wrote about our fun-filled week, along with pictures.

Nice blog post. I signed up to crew with my daughter.

Ivylog wrote:
Could not find if you have a Gen-turi type device for your generator. You will be parked close together assuming you are not stay at a CG miles away or at a site with power. Here is a recent post on them.
We will be there and they start early with the balloon flights so it can be cold to start and then warm up a lot.
The above link gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Thanks for posting this. I wondered about the Gen-turi device. We boondock often and simply close the windows next to the exhaust. We have a diesel generator and never had a single problem doing that. Is there some other reason I'd want the Gen-turi? I'm happy to close two windows and it works well without the Gen-turi. Can't smell a thing.

Howdy!

If it's you first time to visit Albuquerque take a trip in to Old Town Albuquerque to shop around.

"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon

A Gen-turi is for your neighbor so they do not eat your exhaust. Hopefully the rig to your right will have one too as you will be parked like sardines. I carry a metal 90 degree sweep (picture in my link/post above) that I have loaned to a inconsiderate neighbor that is blowing their exhaust towards me when parked close together. I also have a sweep that I put on my AquaHot to turn it's exhaust upwards and away from my neighbor. One that size (2"ID) is harder to find.

I did find ......this one on Ebay. Doubt a PVC one would not melt but for a couple $ worth a try.

Don't miss Old Town as someone mentioned. I'd also take a trip on the Tram. Be prepared for cold and/or hot weather. It can be cold in the mornings and hot in the afternoons. If you take the tram ride, take a jacket as it could be real cold in short sleeved. You go from about 5500 ft. elevation to 10,400 ft. and the weather can really change. If you don't do anything else but watch the balloons, be sure to get away from the fiesta grounds to get some great New Mexican food. Have fun. We'll step out our back door and watch the balloons too.

Ivylog wrote:
A Gen-turi is for your neighbor so they do not eat your exhaust. Hopefully the rig to your right will have one too as you will be parked like sardines. I carry a metal 90 degree sweep (picture in my link/post above) that I have loaned to a inconsiderate neighbor that is blowing their exhaust towards me when parked close together. I also have a sweep that I put on my AquaHot to turn it's exhaust upwards and away from my neighbor. One that size (2"ID) is harder to find.

Thanks Ivy, I've added this to my Amazon list and will measure everything tomorrow to order. Maybe I should get two of them. One for me and one for my temporary neighbor.

Another option is 10 feet of 3 inch flexible metal dryer vent pipe that you just lay on the ground and put over the end of the generator exhaust and route it out to the front of the motorhome. You could use it on your A Hot too and it will go back to it's 3' length for storage.

We visited Balloon Fiesta about 3 years ago but stayed in Santa Fe. We just went down for the day. Worked for us. I am not too excited about the tight camping at Fiesta. Also about 6 years previously the monsoon rains and storms washed out the first 6 days. So, just come prepared for any kind of weather and enjoy as much as you want. If you go, the aspens at Santa Fe may change colors about that time. We visit the Abq and SF area annually and enjoy it all.