Community Forums

NealC · 01-29-2019, 10:48 AM

Fellow Newmarians:

Soon the NKK will be holding the signup for the Balloon Fiesta in ABQ. There are other clubs I'm sure will also be hosting as I'm a member about everything, I'm sure you are too. Anyways, I'm planning on going and I'd love to start a thread here and see who else is intending to head out that way. I'd love to meet some of the western folk that lurk around here too.

I'm hoping to figure out a system where we can sort of caravan before and after for those that want to rendezvous and make our way in and potentially continue on after. As a new RVer taking on a wagonmaster role is scary, actually you should be the scared one! But I'm willing to see what I can put together and see what we can make of a trip. I'd like to mix in some boondocking as well for all of us to gain confidence in our rigs without hookups for those that are not smart on GEN and power use, for those of us with solar that want to see what work (do your anti-rain dance) etc. but also escape the RV parking lot and have a few remote gathers for a few days here and there. I realize some of you on the "short bus" can only go about 3 days as a team so that would be the target in that scenario.

So anyways, I'm thinking out loud and making no promises but if it's something of interest AND people are willing to help then maybe we can make the balloon fiesta a nice gathering but also a pre and post game show as well with more exploring together.

Let me know your thoughts and ideas.

crockdar · 01-29-2019, 12:29 PM

Hi Neal,

We are definitely interested. Signing up for the Balloon Festival was the first thing we did after buying our MH. As a matter of fact we signed up the first night when we were still in the parking lot of NIRVC.

When we attended the NKK gathering at Quartzite we learned that the NKK group was going. Not sure what my options are to make a change to our reservations at this point but whether we are on our own or with the NKK group we are interested in hearing what you come up with. The caravan piece and boondocking is definitely appealing.

10 fan · 01-29-2019, 02:36 PM

I tried to make reservations last week but they are full. How does it work with the NKK? It would be great to meet some of you.

GaryKD · 01-29-2019, 04:50 PM

Hi 10 fan,
The NKK activities fill up fast. Check the NKK web site and it will tell you when an activity opens for reservations. If you want to participate, best you be ready to reserve quickly (I mean within minutes) when reservations open. I post an update once a month here on iRV2 in the NKK forum. That is for planning purposes only.

NealC · 01-30-2019, 05:33 AM

This party may be over before it started. I didn’t realize NKK had so few slots.

Plan B. Whoever gets in pairs with another coach as your toad!! Who said a toad can’t be 40ft long?

MrBelvedere · 01-30-2019, 05:40 AM

Does anyone know if the NKK Rally at the Bsllon Fest is held at a campground with hookups or is it “dry”?

NealC · 01-30-2019, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrBelvedere

Does anyone know if the NKK Rally at the Bsllon Fest is held at a campground with hookups or is it “dry”?

Dry camping. It was discussed in their last newsletter. Not sure if newsletters are available on their site.

NWIP · 02-02-2019, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NealC

This party may be over before it started. I didn’t realize NKK had so few slots.

Plan B. Whoever gets in pairs with another coach as your toad!! Who said a toad can’t be 40ft long?

Good luck on Monday and hope you get in, I’m only a 4018 so can be towed easily.

If all goes well I’m in for the post rally.

Dutch Star Don · 02-02-2019, 08:16 PM

We did the Balloon Festival several years ago and have some tips.

-Try and get camping at the balloon festival, dry camping on site was fine when we went. The reason for this, you can camp elsewhere and drive in, but the traffic can be a nightmare.

-The weather plays a HUGE role if the balloons are going to fly. Make sure you book for at least 3-4 days as they may not launch for 2-3 days at a time. When we went, they didn't launch until the third day of the Festival.

-They launch at o dark thirty, hope you're an early riser. Moving around inside the event is mostly on foot.

-Once they launch and disappear, usually by about 10:00am, you're on your own. They have some booths around the football field, but you can see those in about an hour or so. Consequently, you need to find some entertainment. We spent one day driving to Santa Fe to sightsee and dinner.

-One night, all of the balloons will inflate in the football field, just so you can see them. That's pretty cool to watch. It can be cold during the Festival so bring warm clothes.

-There is a Camping World nearby if you need any supplies.

Lastly, this is one of the largest events in the country for RV's. With the lack of activities in the area, this would be a perfect place for a large RV Show, but no one has figured that out yet.

NealC · 02-04-2019, 08:20 AM

I was able to get registered in time so as time approaches those that want to join up pre/post rally for a pseudo caravan we'll figure things out together and have some fun.

richpatty · 02-04-2019, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NealC

I was able to get registered in time so as time approaches those that want to join up pre/post rally for a pseudo caravan we'll figure things out together and have some fun.

Congrats Neal! We got in too! We will stay in touch!

ptw · 02-04-2019, 08:45 AM

We are registered! We will be headed west after the rally but let us know if you plan something before the rally.

NealC · 02-04-2019, 08:54 AM

All that are registered. Let's all figure out pre/post CG's and make suggestions in this thread. I'll look into these and what I find and I may be able to create a map like Turbopilot made for Class A RV parks. Once a route is determined you can make your own reservations or we can evolve this and I can book a block of sites and you can pay me. I'm thinking out loud at the moment but let's all work together to figure out what we want to do if anyone wants to travel together.

I'll be venturing from the East but making this a several month trip so I'll be looking for things to do/see. RV Fantasy Tours has a caravan from West to East starting in Sedona if anyone is interested in doing that if it works out for you. I intend to go from ABQ west and then north for routing.