Where's Johnny Jet? Full of Hot Air in Albuquerque

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Howdy from New Mexico. Last week, we left off in Vancouver where I was taping some travel segments for a popular TV show (here's the link to that and past newsletters). From there, I traveled to Albuquerque (via Los Angeles) to hang out with some friends and attempt to conquer my fear of heights. Albuquerque is the hot air balloon capital of the world so where else would you go to achieve a lifelong dream? The highlight was floating gently across the sky, like a bird but the fun didn't stop there. I paid a visit to the new Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, dined at excellent restaurants, including a fancy restaurant in my hotel and a popular casual place in nearby Santa Fe. If you want to come along for the ride, then pack away your fears and bring your camera because we're going hot air ballooning over the Rio Grande Valley. If you don't have time to read the story, don't worry. We have a two-minute Johnny Jet video at the end.

Customs in Canada

The day after I taped two travel segments on The Lab with Leo Laporte, I headed back to YVR (Vancouver's airport code). What's cool about Canada is that the U.S. has such a close relationship with our northern neighbors, that U.S. customs agents are stationed in many of the major Canadian airports. This means that you clear U.S. customs before crossing the border, which makes returning to the States so much easier -- especially if you've got a tight connection (like moi).

L.A. to Albuquerque

I arrived at LAX's Terminal 2 at 11:45am. I needed to get a move on as I had a 1pm flight out of Terminal 8. I could have taken the free airport courtesy shuttle but I figured that it would be quicker to walk directly across the airport. I'm not sure if it was (it took 10 minutes) but it was a beautiful day for the walk. After picking up a $9 BBQ chicken salad to go, I flew on one of United Express' CRJ200 planes (a small 50-passenger plane). Our flight time was a quick one hour and 20 minutes. I was in such a hurry that foolishly, I forgot to grab a fork for my chicken salad (why CPK Express doesn't automatically place them in the bags to begin with is beyond me.) I was starving and couldn't eat the messy thing with my hands so when the flight attendant (FA) came down the aisle with the drink cart, I asked her if she had an extra fork. I had a feeling she wouldn't; on these small planes they don't offer food and sure enough she didn't have one. The mother and daughter passengers sitting across the aisle from me gave me an evil smirk (that seemed to say something like, "you dumb ass.") and ate their CPK salads with such emotion. Anyhow, not wanting to look like the caveman they obviously thought I was, I asked the FA on her return trip down the aisle if she had a couple of cocktail straws. She looked at me like I was crazy, but when she saw that they worked like a (very) cheap pair of chopsticks she said, "Aren't you clever?" ... loud enough for everyone to hear. I smiled and stuck my tongue out at my nosey neighbors and went to work, chowing down.

Albuquerque Hilton Hotel

From ABQ (Albuquerque's airport code) I hopped in a taxi to get to my hotel (it's a $20 ride and the fare is by the meter). There was no taxi line and for a brief moment when I got into the taxi, I thought I had stepped into a time warp. My driver was decked out in '70s clothing and listening to a very static-y, two-way radio taped to the dashboard. It was annoying as all get out, but it was a short, 15-minute ride and it was entertaining to watch him play air drums on the dash board at red lights.

At the hotel, I met some of my travel writer friends who were in New Mexico for the main purpose of exploring Albuquerque and going hot air ballooning. The hot air balloon ride was going to be a first for all of us but I seriously thought that my fear of heights would prevent me from going. I figured that at the very least, I'd make an attempt and if worse came to worst and I chickened out, I could at least take some cool pictures. We slept at the Albuquerque Hilton Hotel. It wasn't until I walked through the front door and saw the familiar southwestern motif that I realized I had stayed at the hotel 10 years earlier. Other than the southwestern design, the hotel is nothing special but all 263 rooms have a balcony that overlook either the city, the mountains or the high desert. The best part about staying there besides the price being right (rates begin at $99 on the website but can be found for much cheaper using Hotwire or Priceline) is that you really do feel like you're in New Mexico. Also, the 14-acre property is in a good location. It's near the University/Midtown district, which is conveniently located close to shopping, art galleries and museums and is only three miles from the historic Old Town. However, nothing is within walking distance so you do need to rent a car. Although the rooms have new plasma TVs and free wireless Internet access, the hotel could use an upgrade. Certainly the lone elevator does because it's painfully slow. So slow, in fact, that I opted for the stairs from my 10th floor room, almost every time. Albuquerque Hilton, 1901 University Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico; tel. 1-505-884-2500. Book your next Hilton stay at Hilton.com.

Dining Out

What's great about staying at the Hilton is that it's home to one of my favorite steak restaurants; The Ranchers Club. It's the only AAA 4 Diamond Award winner in Albuquerque and has an impressive menu with a wide selection of beef, seafood and poultry, all grilled over aromatic woods. I had the petite filet mignon that comes with different sauces like raspberry chipotle and two side dishes (I recommend the corn bread). The fine dining eatery is not cheap but the overall experience, food, service and cowboy, western-style interiors make it worth the expense. The Ranchers Club, tel:. (505) 889-8071.

Just north of historic Old Town Plaza is another popular restaurant called Seasons. Instead of boasting a southwestern feel, it feels more like a California winery. I prefer the former but the food here is good. I started off with a salad that was filled with chopped strawberries, butter lettuce, baby spinach, crumbled chèvre and toasted almonds with a balsamic-black pepper vinaigrette ($7.75). For my entrée, I had a half rotisserie chicken, with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed julienne vegetables and herb jus ($16.25). My friends loved their meals too: homemade artichoke ravioli with spring peas and asparagus and arugula salad, with cashew cream sauce, topped with aged asiago cheese ($16.75). Seasons Rotisserie & Grill, 2031 Mountain Road NW; tel. (505) 766-5100.

Santa Fe

Practically everyone I know loves Santa Fe but to be honest, I'm just not one of them. Maybe I am visiting the wrong parts but to me, it feels like Disneyland. Sure, the landscape is gorgeous but it's so touristy that it doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. It's situated just 57 miles outside of Albuquerque and takes under an hour to drive there. However, there is one restaurant that makes the destination worth the drive -- Tia Sophia's. It's located right downtown and is popular with locals because they serve traditional southwestern food. It's famous for its breakfast burrito (which some claim they invented) but lunch is tasty as well. For starters, they bring out this evil, puffed-up light and hollow hot biscuit that's just waiting to be smothered with honey and topped with cinnamon powder before you polish it off. When you order any of their dishes, (burritos, enchiladas, green chili stew, rellenos) you'll be asked if you want "green or red". Just like that. They're referring to the sauce and I learned that the green is hotter than the red when I ordered mine Christmas-style to sample a bit of both. Tia Sophia's doesn't have a website and the owner says they don't plan on developing one. They're old school and that's part of their charm. Tia Sophia's, 210 West San Francisco, Santa Fe, NM; tel. (505) 983-9880. Other Santa Fe sites I quickly explored this time were the "miraculous staircase" at the Loretto Chapel, the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis Assisi and an outdoor marketplace where Native Americans sell souvenirs and handmade accessories, mostly made from silver. If you're really into art, you'll like Santa Fe a heck of a lot more than I did, as the city is full of art museums and galleries including Georgia O'Keefe's.

The Sandia Peak Tramway

Back in Albuquerque and only 12 miles from the Hilton is the state's most popular attraction: the Sandia Peak Tramway. It's billed as the world's longest aerial tramway, running a distance of 2.7 miles. I believe it's the world's longest continuous cable (there are just two poles). A Swiss company built it back in the mid-'60s and if you remember the story of my trip to Brazil a couple of months ago, you would know that I'm not a fan of trams. I was embarrassed to admit that I actually only made it halfway up Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio and each of those two tram rides were just three minutes long. Sandia Peak's tram takes 20 minutes. So when we rolled up to have dinner at the swanky High Finance restaurant (it's atop the 10,378 foot Sandia Peak in the Cibola National Forest) I wasn't too bummed (at all) when I saw the sign: Sorry, the tram is closed due to high winds. Seriously, I didn't think I was going to make it up in one of the 50-passenger cars anyways. At some points, you're almost 1,000 feet above the ground, which is way too high for this scaredy cat. Instead, (and to my great relief.) we dined at Sandiago's Mexican Grill located at the base of the Sandia Peak Tram. Even at the base, the views of the city were still spectacular. Their traditional New Mexican dishes were just okay (the steak tacos were much better than the green rice). But many people visit just for dessert and the Sandia Sunset & Blood Orange Margaritas. Sandiago's Mexican Grill; tel. 505-856-6692.

FYI: The tram serves the Sandia Peak ski area, which is usually open from mid-December through mid-March and is geared toward beginner and intermediate skiers. During the summer, there are more than 26 miles of trails for mountain bikers. Tram rides cost: adults $17.50, seniors 62+ $15.00, children 5 years to 12 years $10.00, children under 5 years accompanied by an adult are free. Season tickets also available. Tramway: 505-856-7325.

International Balloon Museum

A short six miles from the Hilton is the Albuquerque International Balloon Museum and Balloon Fiesta Park. This is where the world-famous Albuquerque Annual Balloon Festival takes place in early October when 750 hot air balloons ascend at the same time. I attended it back in 1997, when it was in a different location but my sister Georgette visited last year to cover the festival for JohnnyJet.com. (You can read her story here.) The hot air balloon museum doesn't sound that exciting and actually, I almost passed up my visit there but I'm glad I didn't. I found it fascinating, especially after going up in a hot air balloon (which I will tell you about shortly). The official name of the museum is the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. Ben Abruzzo and Maxine Anderson, along with their partner Larry Newman, made history by being the first people to complete the first, non-stop crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a gas balloon in 1978. In six days, they traveled from Presque Isle, Maine to Miserey, France. For their achievement they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. I was fortunate enough to meet Ben Abruzzo's son, Richard Abruzzo, who is also a noted balloonist and in 1992 set the duration record flying 144 hours, 16 minutes from Bangor, Maine to Morocco.

Anderson and Abruzzo were both Albuquerque residents and put the city on the map for their achievement. The museum opened in October 2005 and cost $12 million to build. It's still not completely finished but it's dedicated to the art, culture, science, history, sport and spectacle of ballooning. Some of its highlights include more than 50 historic and contemporary gondolas, many accompanied by complete balloon systems. Some of the gondolas on display, related to record-setting flights are: Stratolab and Sky Car (stratospheric flight gondolas), Jules Verne (three around the world attempts in the1980s) and Steve Fossett's hyperbaric chamber. You'll also see French wicker baskets from the 1880s and a World War I observation balloon. Additional archival material includes manuscript letters by historic aeronauts (including Joseph Montgolfier, Pilâtre de Rozier, Madame Blanchard, and Graf von Zeppelin). The Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, 6121 Indian School Road NE, Albuquerque NM; tel. 505-880-0500.

The Big Day

The weather conditions are what make Albuquerque such an amazing place to fly a hot air balloon. The winds usually blow in three different directions depending on your height, making it possible to take off and land at the same exact spot. The first morning, we all got up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 5:45am and met in the lobby, only to find out that our balloon launch had been cancelled due to high winds. The fear that had begun to take over my body began to ebb. I figured -- well, at least I attempted it. We postponed our high-flying excursion for the following day. The weather forecast wasn't great for the next day either, and I almost didn't get up the next morning because I assumed the same thing would happen. Weathermen and airline CEOs seem to have the only jobs where you can always be wrong and not get fired. The next morning, the driver picked us all up from the hotel at 6:15am sharp. There was another couple in the van and they helped ease my tension. The middle-aged woman and her retired uncle (who was also afraid of heights) drove all the way out from Chicago just to live out one of their lifelong dreams; setting sail in a hot air balloon. It was their last day in New Mexico and for their sake I prayed that the weather would hold up. It did.

It was a 15-minute drive to the balloon launching site and the driver poked fun at me the whole ride there. All the girls in my party were ready to go and there I was, talking about backing out. What a wuss, I know. It was cold and luckily I dressed in layers as instructed. When we arrived, there were five other balloons being inflated, preparing for launch. Passengers are encouraged to help out with the inflating process. I snapped lots of pictures, admiring the beautiful sight as the sun began to rise. Near the launch site was a chain restaurant where waiting participants would go to get warm, use the toilet and grab some coffee. In there, I met an older gentleman from California who was by himself and assigned to our 12-person basket. We were both in the restaurant contemplating if we should attempt the ride or not and although we were complete strangers, we bonded over our shared fear. In the end, we found ourselves encouraging one another to take the chance. The company we used was Balloon Ryders. They are the official company used for the Balloon Fiesta, giving rides to tourists, and can launch as many as 400 people in any given day. Two days before, I grilled the Balloon Ryders reservations agent with all kinds of questions from, "how long?" to "how high?" The day of launch, I repeated the same questions to the driver and pilot to see if their answers matched up. They did. I also learned that these guys need a license from the FAA in order to operate a balloon and that the process is heavily monitored. What put me over the final hump was that they all said if you have a fear of heights but are thinking about doing this, that's half the battle and the rest would be a breeze. They also said that as long as you can go up an escalator (check), elevator (check), and a single house roof top (check.) you'll be just fine.

Our pilot looked young, almost too young, but he assured me that he had thousands of flying hours under his belt. "Trust me. Everything will be fine," he said. His whole demeanor and the way he looked me in the eye, instilled a sense of trust in me. Our group was in the company's largest basket. It holds up to 12 people -- with two other couples joining us, we were maxed out. Can you believe that these baskets can hold up to 5,000 lbs? It took about 30 minutes to inflate the monster balloon and I was informed that the best place for me to stand (the basket is about 48 inches high) was in the middle. However, I was the first to climb in (you'd think I was eager or something.) so I couldn't back out. As the others poured in, it was a tight squeeze and I experienced a range of emotions. On one hand, excitement coursed through me but on the other, I was scared as hell.

Up, Up and Away

The chase crew took some pictures of us and the next thing I knew we were airborne. It was magical. It was so quiet and smooth, except for the burners, which use about 50lbs of propane per one-hour flight, and were loud as hell (not to mention, if you're tall, they can be rather hot on your head.) But the burners did keep us warm on that chilly morning. The ride lasted about an hour and for the first 30 minutes, we floated gently between 10 and 300 feet above ground. This was my favorite part, even though it got scary when the pilot just brushed the tops of the trees (on purpose) to either show his expert maneuverability or to try and embarrass me in front of the girls so that I would have to go home and change my underwear. Either way, it was memorable. The balloon behind ours even purposely dipped into the Rio Grande River. At one point we were floating so low that I could've jumped out but guess what? I didn't want to. As we drifted just above and in between the trees, we spotted all kinds of wildlife including coyotes, jack rabbits and birds.

It wasn't all that windy except for a few seconds while we traveled through the middle wind. And then, in no time at all, we were up high. I'm talking too high. Can you believe we went up to 1,750 feet (17 HUNDRED and 50 FEET.) over the Rio Grande Valley? This was definitely the scariest moment for me. My hands began to sweat profusely and actually, are starting to sweat again now as I write this story, recalling my fear. We were only up at that altitude for about 15 minutes and our pilot refused my bribe when I offered him my baseball card collection if he took us down to a lower altitude ASAP. As we descended, it was cool to spot the chase crew following us below. They communicated using walkie-talkies and when we landed, the chase crew was there to help us. It was a smooth landing. We all braced, as we had been warned that sometimes the basket tips over when it touches down, though we were assured that it wouldn't hurt. Everyone helped to pack up and within 20 minutes, we were all back in the van, making our way back to the launch site (about five miles away). There, the balloon company offered riders a light, continental breakfast and a champagne toast, a tradition inspired by an Irish monk's prayer. The passengers on all five balloons were presented with a flight certificate and balloon flight pin to commemorate their aeronautical experience. It may sound hokey but nonetheless, it is something that I will be forever proud of. After all, I can finally say, "I did it."

How to Book

Rainbow Ryders Inc,: $160 per person (5 to 12 years old: $110.00). The price includes hotel pick-up within the Albuquerque city limits and Rio Rancho. tel. (505) 823-1111, 1-800-725-2477(AIRR).

Note: This trip was sponsored by Ocean Properties.

John E. DiScala (aka Johnny Jet), is the founder of www.johnnyjet.com, the ultimate travel website and weekly newsletter. He logs over 150,000 miles a year, has been featured in over 850 articles (including Frommers.com, USA Today, Time, Fortune, the New York Times, CNBC and MSNBC), and has published the book, You Are Here Traveling With JohnnyJet.com.

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