Wildfires and Universal Studios

So, if you have been hearing about wildfires in the mountains just north of Los Angeles recently, the reports are in fact true. There is a pretty big fire burning, and it's very visible from the Oakwood apartments and even as far as south of downtown LA. It's pretty crazy to look at. According to reports I have read, the fire is called the Station Fire and is centered in La Canada Flintridge. It has burned 35,000 acres so far and is 5% contained. Crazy Stuff! Here are some pictures I have taken:







On Sunday, the ICLA program went over to Universal Studios Hollywood for the day. The park is not a roller coaster heaven like Six Flags, or as big a place as Disney. However, it was a great deal of fun.



We were able to go on a tour of the studios, which featured some pretty cool movie sets. Some of the ones we visited were the War of the Worlds (which was by far the coolest), Desperate Housewives, Fast and the Furious, Jaws, and Jurassic Park. Here's a look at some of the sets:

War of the Worlds

Desperate Housewives

The Fast and the Furious

Jaws

Jurassic Park

We also went on many of the awesome rides at the park. My three favorite, hands down, were the Revenge of the Mummy, Jurassic Park, and Simpsons: The Ride. The Mummy was an indoor themed roller coaster that launches you in the darkness, and you even go backwards at one point. The launch was totally unexpected.



Jurassic Park takes place in a big boat and brings you through themed areas featuring dinosaurs. In the end, you have to escape from attacking T-Rex's and you go plummeting down a big drop into water. It gets you pretty wet, but it was very refreshing on a warm August day.

Splashdown!!!

All Wet!!

Finally, the Simpsons Ride is a motion simulator ride. You sit in 8-person cars and get raised into a giant IMAX theatre where you have to destroy Sideshow Bob's plot to kill the Simpsons. It was also very fun and feels like you are riding on a roller coaster.





We went on some other attractions too like Shrek 4D and the Hollywood House of Horrors. We also learned behind the scenes info about movies such as computer generated imaging (CGI) and how sounds are made. They were all cool but definitely could not top the other three. I had a really great time at Universal and definitely recommend spending a day there.