Watch 400 balloons in ABQ mass ascension

Night glows are worth watching too BBB

more balloon photos
More balloon photos:

http://www.abqjournal.com/venue/events/balloon/

Lighening shut down balloon ascension
Just heard that lightning above the Albuquerque balloon festival just grounded all of the balloons and the field has been closed for safety reasons.

Balloons already at 600 to 3,000 feet are descending rapidly.

Too bad so many will be disappointed.

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Trying to beat the rain path, a huge black, red and green tear-drop balloon is flying low right over my house, heading for the alternate landing field about a mile from my home.

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A balloon hard landing in a nearby field just reported. Pilot OK, no damage.

Thousands of spectators are being clearned from the field due to lightning.

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Sunday
They are trying the mass ascension again this morning after yesterday's recall due to lightning. Nearly 200 balloons are in the sky right now with others preparing to take off. Cloudy sky but everything seems to be a go.

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ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The American team of Andy Cayton and Kevin Knapp traveled 1,478 miles from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta to land west of Citra, Fla., on Friday, becoming the apparent winners of the 2006 America's Challenge gas balloon race.

The official standings are to be announced Saturday.

The reported final positions Friday of the 13 balloons that left from Albuquerque on Tuesday are only estimates and do not take into account various factors considered in the race.

Wilhelm Eimers and Greg Winker, from Germany and United States, were the apparent second-place finishers, flying 1,464 miles and touching down south of Savannah, Ga., Thursday.

The Albuquerque gas balloon team of Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis were ranked third, traveling 1,187 miles and landing Thursday east of Pensacola, Fla.