Photo Essay: Islands in the Storm

Saturday's visit to Islands of Adventure:

It began with some spectacular weather, and after a stressful week for both of us, we were ready for some fun.

We went first to sit for a bit and sip a sangria at the Backwater Bar, which is right next to Seuss Landing. While sitting there, we were noticing some things we hadn't seen, so when we had finished our drink, we went directly to see what was new at "Seussland" as my husband calls it.

Behind the Cat in the Hat ride, we went for a stroll. I found the flowers particularly pretty that day, and was looking for violet and indigo shots for Rainbow Connections, so these caught my eye.

I always love the fun atmosphere at Seuss... where everything looks like it came from a child's imagination.

... and the colors are soothing...

I wouldn't want to try climbing this staircase, but it's fun to look at.

Here was an empty stage, with a backdrop from my most favorite Seuss book, "Oh, the Places You Will Go."

We moved on to the Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous, just to get out of the hot sun for a few moments.

And then we made our way toward the Lost Continent, past one of the whimsical trees...

...with a final message from before we crossed the bridge.

We wanted to try something new, but got sidetracked once again by the architecture here...

And we both thought we'd seen Poseidon's Fury before, but neither of us could really remember it so we took a chance and went in. It ended up not being so fun. Probably, that's why we didn't remember it. We stood in line for about forty minutes, and then the show was about fifteen minutes, during which I couldn't take any pictures.

And when we came back outside, the weather had turned ugly...

So we decided to head toward Jurassic Park, where we knew of several sheltered areas.

Here, I loved the violet flowers on this lovely tree...

It was getting darker and darker, but was only about 4:30.

I loved the drama in this shot of the Pterandon Flyer ride.

And I was enchanted by the dark storm clouds as a backdrop for the tropical foliage, where it felt like we were in a rainforest. A rainforest with amenities, of course...

We decided to stop in and get a seat at the Thunder Falls Terrace, while there were still seats available, and we were lucky, because just as we sat down, the clouds burst.

After we ate, we decided to give up our table and go outdoors to watch the storm from under an awning.

More and more visitors were heading toward shelter...

And I could not move around much, so I took lots of shots of the same scenes...

I wish I had my camera set right, here, because the view of the sun setting over the waterfall was spectacular, as the western clouds had begun to thin. I was looking for a rainbow toward the east, but I was disappointed.

When the rain slowed a bit, we decided to make a run for the park exit, but had to stop under an umbrella where I took this last shot, of this Mount Rushmore knockoff over Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls. It's a fun ride when you want to cool off, but I was thoroughly soaked by that time, and ready to go home.

We only saw a fraction of what we wanted to, that day, but we still had fun... and it's only twenty minutes away, so with annual passes, we can return any time. :)