Our Hot Air Balloon Trip

4/10/12 Took a hot air balloon ride in Taos, N. M.
This is the basket on it's side.

John helping to hold the balloon as it fills.

More of John's help.

The balloon almost filled.

Up, up and away.

Over the Rio Grande River gorge.

Our shadow - we are higher here.

Mount San Antonio. It is a volcano mountain & it stands alone - not in any mountain range.

Community below us.

Packing up after a good landing.

Our pilot at the champagne brunch

Tall bridge over the Rio Grande River outside Taos, N. M.

The Rio Grande River gorge from the bridge.

Close up of bridge

Our Buckeye chilling

A cactus in bloom

Boot Hill in Tombstone, AZ.

One of the creative epitaphs

Another creative epitaph

Boot Hill

Boot Hill

Cowboys in downtown Tombstone, AZ

The stagecoach arriving in town

Phelps-Dodge Copper mine

This mine is huge

This shows the layers of strip mining

Nambe Falls

Nambe Lake - made from damming up the Rio Grande River in northern New Mexico.

Day trip to Mount Lemon

On the way up to the top of Mt. Lemon - beautiful Saguaro cactus

Odd rock formations

Snow! on the mountain side

Ski lifts - they were still skiing

Lots and lots of snow

We took a tour of 'Alligator Alley'. They had all ages of alligators there. They put on a small show that they call feeding the alligators. They are fed with feral pigs. They said the pigs are all over & people catch them & bring the pigs to them to feed the alligators.
It was really interesting and informative.

A little burro out front of 'Alligator Alley'

Long-horn steer out front of 'Alligator Alley'

Some of the alligators

One of the larger alligators

'Captain Crunch'

During the feeding of the alligators

The alligators coming to the shore - they know it is time to get fed

A 2 year old alligator that a handler had out for us to touch & hold.

John touching the belly of a two year old alligator

Some newer alligators

These are 3 year old alligators

We are in southern Alabama. We drove to the Gulf and took in the sights.
We'll be here a week and then on west.

A blue heron riding on the tide

There were loads of jellyfish floating by.