Ambling through the rest of Midway America.

I suppose this counts as more authentic "carnival" theming than anything you can find at Disney's Animal Kingdom?

Music Express, because why theme a ride when you can just claim that the theme is carnival rides?

Finally, at the far end of the park in an awkward cul-de-sac (because Boardwalk and reasons) is Lightning Racer.

Lightning Racer, as a dual track racing coaster, normally has a pretty short line. Today it did not, thanks to one side operation.

So normally I really enjoy Lightning Racer. Yes it's quite gentle as far as GCI rides go, but there's an inspired elegance to its racing/dueling choreography that virtually no other ride has surpassed.

Lightning Racer is still one of GCI's greatest achievements in my opinion.

Unfortunately, for that opinion to remain intact, I had to exclude my single ride in 2012 as an outlier. Not only was the dueling component missing, but the ride was all around slow and rough. Really hope that's no longer the case.

Green side stuck on the lift.

One more shot of my favorite element sequence on Storm Runner in the pale dusk.

Comet beckons me with a twilight ride racing its tracer lights. Yet... it looks surprisingly empty.

Indeed, all the rides were down for a weather advisory, although the skies seemed quite fair. I decided to call my dad (whose car I was able to borrow for this trip) and give him an update on my day. While I was waiting for things to maybe reopen, he offered to look up the weather radar map for Harrisburg... and informed me that a massive dark green patch was barreling right towards my path.

I decided that would be a good time to call it a night, even though there was more I'd have liked to do. Walking to the front gate, I started to get pelted with a few drizzling raindrops. By the time I made it to the car, I was soaked from head to toe as if I had just stepped out of the water park. An unexpected end to an altogether worthwhile trip. Sure I was broke, unemployed, with lots of student loan debt would have to begin to pay off in the upcoming months. But the FREDxGCI experience proved worthwhile in the long run, initiating conversations that would indirectly lead me over the course of the next 16 months to a job as a creative associate at one of the largest themed entertainment design firms in the world (which this website helped me to land). And to think that if I had been more sensible about my career path and not ridden coasters at every opportunity (and then write about them), I could be doing... something else... somewhere? Nah, I'd rather be riding roller coasters.