It’s State Fair time here in Minnesota, a time of horses, chickens, sheep, the midway, the grandstand and just about anything-else-you-can-think-of-on-a-stick.Despite the wide variety of things, like the new Bayou Bob’s Alligator Nuggets, and the old standby cheese curds (if you really want to know why I skip those.. just ask me.) I did limit what I ate to my old time favorites. There’s the mini-donuts, pronto pup (a corn dog to the uninitiated), and the cheese on a stick. For a change of pace, I skipped the traditional mozzarella and went for the pepper cheese instead.
Then the rides… I actually kind of skipped the midway area this year. Maybe I’m getting old, but that area just didn’t hold any appeal. The only ride I did stop and watch for a bit was the “Ejection Seat”, a sort of bungee jumping in reverse.
For just $30 each, a pair of folks gets strapped into this contraption that’s anchored to the ground. Their seats are attached to a pair of bungees that get stretched to the top of their respective towers, being pulled nice and tight. The operator then throws the switch, releasing the riders who are sent high into the air at near terminal velocity. Once you hit the upper limit of the bungees, you’re spun around and flung back towards the ground, and then get to bounce and spin awhile before being gently lowered back to terra-firma.
