Day 17 - Universal Studios

You can't get a much greater contrast to Sequoia National Park than downtown LA but due to the fires and closures in Sequoia, Universal Studios is our destination today!

We were a party of 5: us 3, Felicity and her sister-in-law, Jenny. It was so lovely to spend a fun day all together!

Starting the day off with a 'Studio Tour' we were shown the huge 'sound stages' where filming takes place, life sized replicas/sets of city streets, Western towns, the 'Jaws' locale (complete with the animatronic shark), and then several immersive 3D 'rides'. For these, the whole 5 carriage 'tram' pulls onto a track in a huge warehouse where massive, curved screens stretch the 100+ foot length. There were storylines of Kong fighting a T-Rex, and when the dinosaur's tail whipped around, the whole tram shuddered and shook. Another featured a car chase through city streets in 'Fast and Furious'. The most interesting perhaps was an ungerground subway station that had 'real' effects throughout... Shaking, crumbling building components, arcing electrical systems and a flash flood pouring down the stairs! It was interesting to see how much detail and effort goes in to even the smallest part!

We couldn't wait to get to Hogsmeade, though... The world of Harry Potter. Complete with the Hogwarts express replica, themed stores and dining, and two rides (a small rollercoaster and a 3D/ride combo through Hogwarts) - Becky, Cilla and I went on these 3 times each! We tried butterbeer (non alcoholic, tasted like liquid butterscotch pudding - sooo good) and ate a delicious and hearty lunch at the 3 Broomsticks.

We were excited for Jurassic World too, and the ride didn't disappoint. A boat took us through 'Jurassic Park', passed model dinosaurs, until a containment alert, shrieking alarms and claw marks all over the enclosure warned us of an escaped Indominus Rex (a fearful hybrid dinosaur). Here the boat is pulled up a steep slope before the terrifying jaws of the dino opened before us and we dropped 84 ft into a splash pool below.

The rest of our day was taken up with a combo of 3D immersive rides, indoor rollercoasters, an animal show, a water based show with high divers, pyrotechnics and jetskis and more butterbeer. Exhausted, we piled back into Jenny's car and enjoyed light traffic all the way home.

Tomorrow morning we head out to Yosemite. It's been beyond lovely seeing Fliss and her family, and we're so thankful for the blessing of this huge worldwide community and family.
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