I had pondered it for a few months, but in the end, it was an impulse that launched me west from Albuquerque towards Gallup, New Mexico. Seeing recent photos taken by others of hot air balloons lingering over red rock walls gave me the shove I needed to hit the road Saturday morning.

After all, Gallup is a town just two hours away from Albuquerque, and it’s a place I had never really stopped and spent any time in.

I made a quick and thrifty hotel booking after breakfast, set the cats up with food and water to cover my absence, and was soon on the road.

My hope was to get to Gallup by 1 PM because there was a Christmas parade in the Downtown area- and following the directions given to me by the Map app on my phone, I found myself parking my truck several streets away from the parade route right at 1.

The parade was not long, or excessively fancy, but it was well attended. Several parade princesses and a queen led a mix of automobiles and drawn trailers hosting Santa, Grinches, a trumpet and piano duo playing Christmas tunes, and costumed locals tossing plenty of candy out to kids as they passed by.

After the parade, I found my el cheapo motel, which turned out to be just several blocks away from downtown. The area it was in looked pretty dead, and it wasn’t the prettiest place- one of those aged looking single-leveled horseshoe-shaped collection of rooms, but the small room behind the door with my room number scrawled on it in marker was nicely finished and clean and comfortable.

My only concern all night came from being put in a room adjacent to a guest who had placed a written “NO VISITORS” note on paper over his Sharpied room number. The young man came out once when I was unloading my truck, and he had his room window covered on the inside with a black sheet, but he had other kids coming to his room regularly throughout the early evening.

What should I have expected for the pittance I paid for the room.

After moving in, I decided to grab a bite to eat and then to head back out, to go check out Red Rock Park in nearby Church Rock. The park, home to the annual balloon rally, was packed with RVs in two lots near the launch areas, but I found a third lot for park visitors that was essentially empty.

My trip to assess the park pivoted into a late afternoon hike on a trail that went close by Church Rock, for which the town around it was named. The hike basically followed a trail above an eroded canyon, and then, under Church Rock, bent back around the canyon for the return trip.

I enjoyed watching the day end on Church Rock, and then was also glad to run into a local jogging on the trail, who basically paused his exercise to make sure I did not miss the return leg for getting back to the parking lot. This path required a descend towards the canyon floor on narrow steps worn into rock, a descent of probably 60 or 70 feet, which made me anxious. The young man, already moving his way along on the other side of the canyon, stopped to yell directions to me and to encourage me about taking the descent trail. And he waited as I went down it before he slipped away up his path, back into his jog. I appreciated that stanger doing that for me.

After I got back to my truck, the next rally-related event of the day- the Balloominaria- was scheduled to start in 30 minutes, so I put the name Rio West Mall in my Map app and found myself at a mall off of Mr. Myagi street (as I call it since I can’t remember the Japanese name attached to it) at 6 PM. A portion of the mall parking lot was cordoned off for about 15 to 20 balloons to inflate in, while the rest of the lot filled quickly with cars. I made my way, officiously, out into the cordoned area and as balloons inflated, I enjoyed snapping some photos.

At one point, the lower neck on one balloon caught on fire, and a fire truck on hand bellowed its way into the launch area to make sure the canopy was extinguished. Crisis quickly averted. Balloon glows. Synchronized burners. Christmas music on loud speakers. Happy viewers.

And, after 45 minutes to an hour of flight-ready balloons entertaining the visitors and passing by traffic, the show was over, and escape from the parking lot began- and almost never ended. After an hour in the lot, I finally got out and headed back to the motel.

I went back to the motel and set my phone alarm for 5:30 AM and planned to fall asleep early. And my neighbor became relatively quiet around 10 PM. But I didn’t fall asleep early. Or much.

At 5 AM, I got up and dressed and then started loading the truck with my stuff.

And I said “What’s up, man” to another young dude who came to my neighbor’s door and lightly rapped on it.

“It’s cold”, he announced.

“Yep.”

Packed, I left the dude at the door and was off into the darkness, and I headed for Red Rock Park, for what turned out to be a beautiful morning to watch balloons playing on and around the rock walls.

I arrived in time to watch three dawn patrol balloons launch, and as the sun rose, a few others, and then I stood by at the Pilots Meeting to hear the data for the day. As the Rally was ending that morning, the director thanked a lot of people, gave the weather report, and then it was launch time.

I stood in mostly one spot and just watched- people climbing up onto the top of the nearby red rock walls, balloons inflating, balloons drifting, balloons mounting walls, balloons disappearing into an adjacent canyon, balloons reappearing, and balloons.

By and large, the shared pilot sentiment was that this was a favorite event to attend, this rally, because it is a pilot’s playground. And the pilots were not shy about flying up to and against the canyon walls, or about trying to perch on top of a rock wall, or even about flying into another balloon by a wall.

The morning was cold but I was warm and happy, later feeling the sun finally on my body, hearing the burners roar, and soaking in the colorful sights around me.

Around 9 or so, balloons began to land in the launch area and deflate, so it was soon time for me to go.

I would definitely recommend a visit to the Red Rock Balloon Rally for any balloon or photography enthusiast. The only cost to attend the rally was a $5 fee for parking. The crowd watching the festival was not large. Gallup is near Albuquerque. Lodging in Gallup is fairly inexpensive.

I had a good breakfast- with plenty of coffee- at Denny’s in Gallup after the Rally, and then I headed south on State Road 602, so that I could detour for a first time through Zuni Pueblo- which I did.

I was hoping to stop at the Old Zuni Mission Cemetery there to get a glimpse of the old historic Zuni mission church, but turning onto the access road to it, a number of people were standing in front of houses looking up the short street towards the cemetery, and emergency vehicle lights clearly shimmered in a reflection off of a car door, so I decided it was probably not a good time to be a tourist there.

I turned around and left Zuni Pueblo, and headed back towards Albuquerque.

At El Morro National Monument, I made a planned stop to use the visitor center’s bathroom- and then I stayed for a shirt hike after the ranger present persuaded me to visit Atsinna, ruins of a pueblo I had not visited before on top of the sandstone bluff. I enjoyed the short walk and staircase ascent to see the ruins and the panoramic views offered on top of the bluff.

As I drove back to Grants and then Albuquerque in golden late afternoon light, I listened to a few Band of Brothers podcast episodes about the making of that series, and about the young men who starred in it, and about the old men who lived its story out, and I marveled at how some men have lived such courageous lives. And I reminisced on a fine short weekend getaway in Gallup.

I enjoyed stopping and spending some time in Gallup.

And then I was also glad to get home.