I hate to end on a down note, even if it has been sort of a down day. So allow me to get some final thoughts in about the Fiesta week before I sign off for the week.

Journalists are a skeptical bunch, so we approach almost anything outside our regular "beats" with a healthy mix of cynicism.

To impress us with any event is no easy feat. So, Albuquerque, pat yourselves on the back because you made a new fan for the Balloon Fiesta.

I see the Fiesta as the best kind of community event. It's fan-driven. It's open for tourists to explore both ballooning and New Mexico culture. And it's especially cool the city (all of you/us) is willing to embrace a niche sport/hobby that we probably would never have run into otherwise, then share that niche with the world (this is more rare than people think).

Walking the length of Balloon Fiesta Park, you can see six or seven things that are either amazing, amusing, interesting or flat-out insane. And that's without looking too hard. I don't know about anyone else, but that's all I can ask for from an event like this.

The biggest compliment I can give is that I would recommend a friend - and I would. Good for you Albuquerque - and even better for us.

Now let's talk about getting its start time moved up to noon next year.