Uh oh.  Here there be dragons.

Actually the big attraction in the Jurassic Park area was a water ride designed to soak riders head to toe.  Now yes, we were hot under the blazing sun, but having had squishy shoe experience in park visits past, all of us pretty much agreed that if we were going to get wet, we'd better make it late in the day, around time to leave.  So we didn't ride this one. 

Instead our band of intrepid scientific adventurers explored the Jurassic Park Discovery Center.

No, Garrett, that's not a slot machine.

Gavin slides a dinosaur egg under what we scientists call a gamma ray thingy and has a look inside.

Garrett bows before the gamma ray thingy.

I think he's praying to have his face scanned.

While Garrett communes with the gamma ray thingy, Gavin wonders what's going on.

Uh, oh.  I think that's Garrett's brain up there on the big screen.  I wonder what the gamma ray thingy discovered in his head?

Oh, c'mon -- surely there was something in there.

Hey Mom, I think this thing just stuck my head on a lizard's body.

Gavin and Katia are intrigued, while Garrett remains perplexed.

Ah hah!  The gamma ray thingy has found actual photographs of a dinosaur that looks just like Garrett.  Whatever will these scientists think of next?  Gavin is impressed.

Now we're peering through solid rock.

Awesome!

[Give the blue bar time to load all the way across.]

One interesting thing about Islands of Adventure is that parts of the park can be extremely crowded while in other places you may encounter almost nobody at all.  For awhile we had the quiet, peaceful courtyard behind the Discovery Center almost to ourselves.  Perfect for a bit of relaxation and sightseeing through binocular telescopes.  Perfect, that is, if you have a quarter.  Actually, two quarters.  Hey Bill, you got a quarter?

Hey, those clouds look kinda dark, don't they?  Maybe we can get wet without making an excursion on one of those crazy raft rides.