A bird's-eye view: Traveling through the sky — one portal at a time

Tucked between the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande, magic swirls around Balloon Fiesta Park during this time of year.

Kids of all ages look up to the sky as hundreds of hot air balloons inflate on the field before taking flight.

On Wednesday morning, thousands of visitors looked up to the sky and smiled.

Journal photographer Chancey Bush and I were given the opportunity to ride in Meow Wolf’s Skyworm, which made its debut at this year’s Balloon Fiesta.

It was my first time in a hot air balloon. For this Santa Fe native, it’s been a journey of amazement.

Arriving at the field — specifically the launch site K-1 — at 6:30 a.m., pilot Rick Kerber introduced himself, saying that we were going to travel to another dimension.

First we had to go through the portal.

“How blessed am I that I get to fly this balloon during its first Balloon Fiesta,” Kerber says. “Meow Wolf’s always taking things to the next level.”

Though based out of Michigan, Kerber is a pilot with Rainbow Ryders. He spent the week piloting Skyworm, which was produced in collaboration with New Mexico-based hot air balloon company Rainbow Ryders.

The next hour was spent watching in amazement as Kerber took the time to chat with visitors to the balloon before it was inflated.

As visitors from around the country waited for Skyworm to showcase its full form, the crew entertained visitors by handing out the official Skyworm trading card. Some asking, “What is a Meow Wolf?” Others chiming in to tell them about the Santa Fe-based arts production company and tourist attraction.

Scott Appelman, Rainbow Ryders founder and president, says the collaboration is by far the most creative and elaborate project with which Rainbow Ryders has assisted. The project took about six years to create and had to be kept quiet until a week ago.

Kerber has been involved in the creation of the balloon since the beginning.

“Knowing how magical this balloon was going to be really inspires me,” Kerber says.

Appelman said the balloon itself was built by Kubicek Balloons from the Czech Republic.

“It’s a very unique and revolutionary process,” he said. “Every single one of the panels was printed and then it was sewn together. So it’s quite a bit of work. The balloon is 90,000 cubic feet and is over 80 foot tall and 50 foot wide at the equator. It is powered by two burners that are about 12 million BTUs each.”

As the balloons started to inflate, the launch directors, or zebras, masterfully worked their way across the field ensuring an easy liftoff.

Kerber had to wait for the balloon Appelman was piloting to launch.

And with the blow of the whistle, we were off.

As Skyworm ascended, Kerber made the balloon rotate.

“We’ve got to give the audience a view of the balloon all the way around,” he says with a laugh. “This is one that you have to see.”

The winds were kind to balloonists on Wednesday. Those who took off early were pushed south of the park.

Kerber was able to find the pockets that let the balloon remain steady — I call it the sky ornament era.

Pulling down on the burner, we ascended a little higher and caught the wind taking the majority of the balloons north.

Keber told me a little bit about his life. He’s been flying balloons since he was 16, comes from a family of pilots.

Now 57, with a wife and two daughters, he’s worked for Catepillar Inc. for 39 years and is a Kubicek Balloons representative.

His joy of flying is as vibrant as ever.

“I still get nervous before a flight and that’s a good thing,” he says. “If I didn’t have any nervousness then I’d think twice. I get to see the world from a different point of view. It’s magical.”

During the flight, I too began to see the world from this view.

Experiencing life at 0 to 1 mph is something we could all get used to. When I mentioned it to Kerber, he smiled and said, “Welcome to the new portal.”

After nearly an hour in flight, it was time to land.

Like a wizard, Kerber pulled on strings and let the wind be his guide.

Radioing down to his chase crew, he was ready to land — in Corrales.

“I saw my boss land right there,” he points down at Appelman’s balloon. “And I wanted to land right near him.”

One might ask, “What are the odds of two balloons taking off near each other and then landing an hour later near each other again?”

“Slim to none,” Kerber says.

Spending an hour in the sky reminded me how magical New Mexico is.

Sure, the city gets a bad rap as it deals with its issues of becoming a big city.

For 10 days, visitors flock to the area for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and the world spotlight is on.

Seeing the thousands of visitors on Wednesday at Balloon Fiesta Park, it’s a reminder that we can bask in the glow of the successes, as this is an event like no other.

Upfront: Flying on the Meow Wolf balloon

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Adrian at agomez@abqjournal.com.