Nylon rain...

If you are a photographer, or just enjoy taking snapshots of cool stuff, a must-see event is the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico. It starts in early October and goes on, weather permitting, for about 10 days. Talk about a target-rich environment for photographers! It's an amazing event that allows you to get up close and personal with the participants. It provides an overwhelming amount of photo ops that will refuse to have you put your camera down even for 30 seconds.

Word of warning, however. The crowds getting to and from the event can be equally overwhelming. My wife and I spent several hours in lines just to get on shuttle buses taking you to and from the launching field in north Albuquerque. I would plan to start out very, very early (like 4 am early!) and dress warmly. There were several times I was ready to walk away from the line going to the event and miss it entirely because of the wait, but my wife convinced me to stick it out. She was right; it was worth the wait.