ABOARD AERPOGRAPHY — Along Idaho Street in downtown Elko, cars and trucks zip by with their assorted blown mufflers, rattling trailers and blurred motion. But that same spot from 500 feet up is calm and serene, with little noise save for the blast of superheated air blasting into a colorful canopy named Aerpography. Karl Peterson tests his propane flares before equipment is connected to the balloon canopy on Friday morning, Sept.
20, 2024, in Elko. Welcome to the world of Karl and Maria Peterson of Sun Valley, Idaho. The Petersons are in town for the annual Ruby Mountain Balloon Fest, which kicked off on Friday with about a dozen hot air balloons taking off in spots around Elko and just blowing in the wind until their pilots — in this case Karl Peterson — find a spot that's safe to set down and put away the balloon until the next flight.
It's not as simple as it may seem. The Petersons and their crew, like all the balloonists in town this weekend, must first set up the huge balloon, even before introducing hot air into its thousands of cubic feet of space. Hot air balloonists prepared their crafts for an early morning flight to kick off the annual Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival on Sept.
20, 2024, at the Elko Main City Park. The propane heater must be set up on the wicker canopy; cables and ropes must be secured; the canopy has to be rolled out onto the ground; a gas-powered motor must then turn a fan that blows air into the balloon to inflate it; and then the hot air sh.