CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — While the rest of us have our feet firmly on the ground of the Coastal Bend, one Orange Grove native has his head in the clouds and his eyes on the hottest of hot air balloons.
David Flores has been up in Albuquerque this week enjoying the 50th International Balloon Fiesta, the largest balloon event in the world. Nearly 600 balloons, 700 pilots and hundreds of thousands of spectators blow into New Mexico every year for over a week high-flying hot air balloon shows.
Despite the International Balloon Fiesta's stratospheric scope today, it has down-to-earth beginnings. The first Balloon Fiesta was launched in 1972 and showcased 13 hot air balloons to a crowd of 10,000 people – .one of which was Flores, and he's gone to every Balloon Fiesta since.
"[I've been] coming every year," Flores said, "except for 2020 when COVID hit."
The fiesta continues through this Sunday with events starting at 5:45 a.m. MDT. A livestream and recordings of the Fiesta's events are available online.