The Flight of the Saltire

[cessna152towser]

Excellent pics.
Perhaps the first pic of Mr. and Mrs. Camera in front of the camera!!
Its great to see the Saltire arrived safe and well in Albuquerque, though unfortunate that she arrived behind schedule and missed the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Maybe she'll return to Albuquerque in time for next year's event.

Postings started under show us your pic's, perhaps a Mod could move here and the journey can continue.

Your wish is my command, threads now merged.

[Downunder Kilt]

Great to see the wee airship back in action, thanks for the great pics and congratulations to the newlyweds.

[BroosterB1]

It was a dark night late into the Autumn, the wind was whistling through the trees and the frost was just beginning to settle on the window panes, the crew was invited to a party, a dance if you will, but oh the horrors that awaited. It was a mind bending trip to the edge of sanity, wait was that Captain Kirk?



The Airship settles in for a night not to be forgotten.....

Who should they meet? John Robin and the Ice Queen from the Dawn Trader!



Of course the rouge was Kilted!



Hold on Batman is that Clark Kent and Lana Lang?



Or just another computer nebbish looking over the fine lines of the airship?



Toil and trouble looks like the airship has found a circle of Witchy Poo's...Watch out I hear the young ones are adorable.......



Scotty I need more Power! But I'a 'iven her all she's got ......



Not sure which video game these guy crawled out of...any ideas?



Oh and this guy came by...trolling for missing elves

[BroosterB1]

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart



You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes
You're paralyzed



'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike



You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight



You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl!



But all the while you hear the creature creeping up behind
You're out of time



Night creatures calling, the dead start to walk in their masquerade



There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time
(They're open wide)



That this is thriller, thriller night
'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night




This was part of a crew of folks who practiced for over 9 weeks to put on Michael Jackson's Thriller. The day of our Holloween dance the participated in a nation wide thriller dance and also filled a local city park with zombies. Acording to the local news that city park event broke the worlds record for most sycronized zombies at the same time! And the Saltaire was there!

Special thanks to our head Zombie and Dance master Elizabeth

[BroosterB1]

Semi annually I head to the reservation lands north of Gallup to a small town called Tohatchi. There is a Mission there run by a friend; due to the high usage of alcohol it is a natural place to hold a AA retreat. These pictures were on the trip to and from. While the Saltaire was in attendance I do not feel I should include pictures of others. She was lauded well round and people marveled at the many places she has been in her flights of friendship. I have a wonderful picture of Father J and I, he in his cossack and I in a Saffron with a black turtleneck; we look like we are from similar orders!

Anyway here is a shot of the journey out



Another with my dashboard friend



Looking east early in the morning across to the rising sun.



A modern day Hogan, this one was built with eight sides to the common room and a bath room on the back. The door faces the rising sun.



Our Lady; the mission is St. Mary's



The out side of the church, very traditional northern New Mexican.



On the way back I pulled down a side road to try and give you all some idea of the openness of the landscape the butte in this one was about three miles away.



Saltaire Blue against New Mexico blue Sky's



The road I came down to get these shots; the "highway" is about 1 1/2 back down the road.



Turned another 90 degrees and the mesa off the road was probably a good two miles away. As you can see, not lots of folks in this area. The blue of the sky is exactly as it was taken, no photo shop. It really is that blue.

[BroosterB1]

Met these guys a few miles down the road; they could have cared less that I was taking their photograph. I even asked them what they were waiting for..I was ignored.



About half way between Tohatchi and Crown Point This part of the reservation is pretty flat and well empty.



Chapter House sign. This is just the sign for the turn off the actual chapter house is 3-4 miles off the road.



Anybody good with Dine? The Japanese in WWII code not break the code talkers. I have met a couple of the guys who are still around, heros all.



From flat lands to mountains; this is coming into Crown Point.



The montains get bigger



And bigger



and taller



Until we cross the contenetal divide. The Altitude is where we are standing



Not where this guy is...I would say the top of that mesa is 9200 ft.

[BroosterB1]

Just as you drop down out of the mountains and back to I 40 (east west) you see something in the distance.....



This is Mount Taylor or Tsoodził, the turquoise mountain. One of the Four scared mountains to the Dine (Navajo) it is the home to several of their important spirits. At 11,300 ft it is almost a perfect strato-volcano and is the source of the lava flows that are directly south and west of Grants New Mexico.



I'll take my camera nest time we go camping there and show you all some neat stuff.

Heading into the Rio Grande Valley one of the major sites is Acoma the "sky city. This pueblo is about 40 miles west of Albuquerque.



This particular pueblo has been inhabited since about 1150 AD.



The Saltaire flys west leaving Acoma.



The wee airship is scheduled departure on Monday morn. I'll see if I can snap a few more shots around Albuquerque for your viewing pleasure. It has been both an honor and a privilege to host the Airship. May God bless and keep her and all that follow her voyages! ith: