Watching over 500+ hot air balloons in the air at once is an awesome sight. Wave after wave of balloons are inflated and ascend into the morning air. They start south, rise to catch the north bound wind, float high overhead toward the north, then descend to catch the lower southbound wind of the "Albuquerque Box" and head southward to do the cycle again. The bright colors and whimsical shapes are a treat for the eyes. High winds forced cancellation of the Saturday evening balloon glow and lightning caused Sunday evening's to end after only a few minutes. Both evenings we watched impressive fireworks from our RV parked near the south end of the launch field. Monday morning balloon pilots competed to see who could drop weighted streamers on field markers.