We’d like to trade our usual Monday morning experience in for this one, please. Welcome to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico. The festival continues through October 14, with plenty of on-the-ground entertainment beyond those balloon rides that might take you east of the city, to the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, seen in this photo. Many hot air balloon rides offer a champagne toast as part of the experience. The champagne tradition may have sprung from early balloon pilots having to land in farm fields on private property. Aeronauts began carrying champagne or other drinks with them to offer to the confused and sometimes angry landowners. You’re welcome to land in our backyard anytime, balloonists!
Float on
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Spring comes to the Palouse
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Alaska moose
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Short-eared owl
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Sea Otter Awareness Week
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National Hispanic Heritage Month
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Cool water in the Quinault
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Waiting for winter
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Celebrating World Wildlife Day
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Lake Magadi, Kenya
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World Turtle Day
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Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
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A new park with a new mission
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Jeju Island, South Korea
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Buddha in the roots of a tree, Ayutthaya, Thailand
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Antarctica Day
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The desert blooms
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Punakaiki on South Island, New Zealand
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Death Valley National Park, California
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Central Highlands of Vietnam
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Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany
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World Reef Awareness Day
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International Moon Day
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Belize Barrier Reef
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Celebrating whales—and a whale of a tale
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A Carpathian Christmas celebration
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Sutherland Falls in Fiordland National Park
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Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
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Polar Bear Week
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Diving into World Oceans Day
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Happy World Photography Day!