Opa's Birthday Party

June 9, 2007

Prehistoric World

In the morning we all decided to take Opasaurus to visit his old-time buddies... at Prehistoric World! The dinosaur park just past Ingleside has been around for a long time and thanks to a rise in popularity of dinosaurs due to films like Jurassic Park and characters like Barney the dinosaur, the park has been greatly expanded over the years. It includes a 1km round tour through the woods with giant dinosaur sculptures and descriptive signs. The only thing missing we thought was a giant dinosaur with a tail that was a slide for the kids to play on.

Arriving at Prehistoric World.

Not even in the park yet and the kids are already stalled at the first attraction...

lots and lots of caterpillars!

The entrance to Prehistoric world.

Joe admires the first prehistoric creature we find in the visitor centre.

A Brady Bunch moment...? Helena, Joe, and Bradysaurus baini.

It was hard to understand this chinese dinosaur huayangosaurus so we let it be.

Joe races ahead to see the dilophosaurus.

We follow along the path past a shunosaurus.

The mouse lizard (mussarus) isn't too intimidating.

Is Samantha a mouse dinosaur too?

Watch out Sam, there's a ceratosaurus behind you!

Look Joe, it's a parasaurolophys walkeri! (aka 'ducky' from 'Land Before Time')

Helena checks out the wireframe of a new dinosaur sculpture being made.

Joe! Give the Tenontosaurus a big kiss!

The kids decide to feed Nodosaurus.

It looks like Opasaurus is hungry too!

The kids have really taken a liking to Kentrosaurus - a smaller cousin of Stegosaurus.

It's easier to look a scutosaurus directly in the eyes if you're small and in a group of 3 for safety!

These bugs might be modern, but they look like they should have been from a prehistoric world.

Joe discovers that the macrauchenia with it's great neck has some camel-like origin... Khalil, were there ever macrauchenia's in prehistoric Lebanon?

Somebody forgot to tell this dinohyus ('terrible hog') that he prefers roots over Rubby! (Of course, you'd probably be a little ornery too if you had caterpillar coccoons in your nostrils!)

Sammy says hello to the woolly mammoth.

Grandma and Grandpa steal the limelight from triceratops as they make a surprise appearance at the park.

Sam and Joe don't seem phased by the giant T-Rex hovering over them.

Khalil keeps himself safe from larger carnivores by carrying around a sacrificial snack.

It's not a dinosaur fly. It's just a DRAGON fly!

Sam and Helena enjoying their visit to Prehistoric World.

We know Steggy's brain is really tiny, but Khalil's can't be much bigger when he places himself in such a precarious position on the tail of the stegasaurus!