Did you ever fantasize about taking flight, feeling the wind blow through your hair and not have to worry about strapping on a parachute? You can fulfill that fantasy this fall by attending the 2007 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Floating in a balloon over the skies of Albuquerque is a very romantic way to celebrate a milestone birthday, an anniversary, or just a terrific vacation. You can watch as the crew inflates the giant balloon. After takeoff you will quietly sail the clear blue skies of New Mexico with Santa Fe to the north and the Sandia Mountains to the east.

Albuquerque expects hundreds of thousands of people to attend the mass ascension days where 700 balloons rise in coordinated waves. The mass ascensions are scheduled from 7-8am on each weekend day of the Fiesta. You can schedule a balloon ride via the Fiesta website.

Afraid of heights? If you prefer to stay on the ground but still want to be involved, why not join a chase crew? Chase crews help the pilot inflate the balloon and then chase the balloon on the ground to help collect the pilot and passengers and deflate the balloon. You can register online to become part of a chase crew.

This is a great opportunity for travel photographers too. Balloons take off just before sunrise and sunset each day when the light is best. Watching the balloons rise over the desert of New Mexico is a magnificent sight. Photographers can dazzle their viewers with the many varieties of balloons from multi-colored conventional round balloons to every shape and size a balloon artist can create in forms such as creatures, trains, flowers, and symbols of every conceivable theme.

Balloon glow is an event not to be missed. The Fiesta website explains that “it was invented in Albuquerque in 1979, when local pilots inflated balloons on Christmas Eve night as a ‘thank you’ to local residents. The sight of balloons lit from within at night like giant holiday ornaments is breathtaking, and ‘glow’ events are now held all over the world. Balloon Fiesta launched its Balloon Glow – the world’s biggest – in 1987. Fiesta Glow ‘all burns’ – when all the balloons fire their burners and light up at the same time – are perhaps the most spectacular single moment in all of Balloon Fiesta. The Balloon Glows – followed by New Mexico’s most spectacular fireworks displays — are now among Balloon Fiesta’s most popular events.”

The 2007 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is scheduled for October 6 -14 and additional information can be found on the Balloon Fiesta website.

When you think of Santa Fe, you imagine the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, adobe architecture and Native American art. You imagine yourself walking the downtown plaza and visiting the numerous galleries the town has to offer. But now there is something new for the gastronomic traveler. A new culinary tour has been added to the list of activities.

Through The Insiders’ Culinary Adventure, The Santa Fe School of Cooking, plans to educate and entertain the uninitiated about the unique cuisine of Santa Fe. The tour starts at the school in downtown Santa Fe where you will be greeted by your tour leader, a chef/instructor from the school. Here you will discuss the New Mexican influence and you will have a taste of the traditional New Mexican Chile. The tour then proceeds on to an intimate walking tour of restaurants and a museum that illustrates the diversity of Santa Fe.

The stops on the tour include:

• Los Mayas Mexican Restaurant where you will meet owner Fernando Trillo and discuss the differences in New Mexican and Mexican cuisine.
• The Institute of American Indian Arts where Lois Ellen Frank, a James Beard award winning author will be sampling Native American food. A pass to the Institute of American Indian Arts is included with your registration fee.
• Amavi, the new restaurant of local celebrity chef, David Sellers.
• James Campbell Caruso’s La Boca which was the winner at Taste of Santa Fe 2007. The restaurant was honored with the Best In Show award!

The cost of the tour is $105 per person and includes admission to the Institute of American Indian Arts. The tour is limited to 16 people. Please check the schools website for more information - santafeschoolofcooking.com.