Redskins game and Goodbye USA.

Well, what was suppose to be a happy ending, didn't quiet go to plan. I headed off to see my beloved Redskins play, (first real NFL regular season game). Was overwhelmed by the tail gate parties happening in the car park, most had been there all morning, with the game starting at 1pm. For those back home, roughly 70,000 people having a big party before the game, what a sight. Managed to get plenty of good photos before the game started but after that it went down hill. Had a bad seat behind a concrete pole, skins played terrible the whole game and beer cost $9 a bottle but loved the atmosphere immensely and would go back tomorrow, just not at $130 a ticket!!!!!!!!! For those not in the know, pictured above is Sav Rocca, ex AFL player. (Australian Football).



Now to the bad part. Saying good bye to the USA and all our new and life long friends we have made along the way. Where do we start, those who gave us advise on what to see and do, those who took us in and gave us a home cooked meal and a bed and those who locked us in their basement and wouldn't let us go!!!!!!!!!!!!(lol).

Mike and Becky - Thank you for the good times at Yellowstone and letting us experience Thanks Giving.
Che and Laura - For cooking the best brisket ever and welcoming us into your circle of friends Larry,Rhonda and family.
Roman - For being the most inspirational and strong person we have met. A credit to yourself, your family and country.
Driftwood, Florida week 35 - What can we say..........Awesome times and we hope to be back one day!!!!!!!
Randy,Pat,Justin,Deborah and family- Generous hospitality, great bed and great pancakes.
Tom and Carol - For the wine and sending the pins home for the kids.
Charlie and family - Good times and great steaks. Helped make extending our time in Florida, so much easier.
Bill and Millie - Thanks for another home cooked meal, we so desperately needed.
Chris,Anne,Karine and Benny - Thanks for finally letting us out of the basement. Great 2 day visit that turned into 10 and could have been more, if we had time. Thanks for the use of the GPS, saved major headaches driving in New York.  Also for the lovely Brazilian family meal.
And of course to all those at home who kept in contact.

We could honestly go on forever about the love and support you have all given us on our epic journey, with the only way of really saying thanks, is if you are ever in Australia, let us repay the kindness by offering you an air bed, in our tent, were we will be living for the next couple of years, to finish paying off this trip!!!!!!!!!! In our minds we have made life long friends, who will always pop up in our conversations at home and when relaying our stories to family and friends  or anybody who will listen.

Some more of Julia's useless information (lol)
* 5 1/2 months       * 48 states     * 50 hotels/resorts     * 6 camp grounds        * 19,000 miles -  30,600 kms.
* 2 hire cars      * Countless hours of school work       * roughly 35 cases of beer (give or take 10)       *Tampa has a Bay (family joke)        * We have managed to see and photograph all buildings in our blog header  picture          * 6,000 photos

We leave the USA tomorrow, Tuesday and arrive in Australia on Thursday (local time) with one very tired Koala. We will post once we arrive home safely for those interested.

All our love, Team Connor USA / Australia XOXOXOXOX

WASHINGTON,DC.

Washington DC - its very name invokes power and politics! 

Pictured above is the address of the Obama's - The White House, not Kenny's new pad.

The capital of the nation with all its history,  has surprisingly low slung buildings = apparently an architectural law that does not allow sky scrapers to inhabit.

We toured the great city, with all its National Monuments, spectacular Memorials and incredible sights - in both sunshine and drenching rain!

With all the political decisions made within the marble walls, the notable police and security presence was felt ten fold across the city. Military training bases on the outskirts of towns, FBI - K-9 patrols, police presence and even down to the road blocks built into the ordinary roads that can shut down the city's traffic access in an instant. All Museums and Memorials are free for admission as the Country encourages those who wish to learn about it's history. Since 9/11 obviously there is no access or tours of the White House.

We also went to the Arlington National Cemetery to witness the 'Changing of the Guard.'

The cemetery has 624 acres, which shelters the remains of over 320,000 servicemen and women, veterans from every war and major conflict in US history. It is the nations most sacred shrine.

Pictured below is the 'Tomb of the Unknown Soldier'. This grave has been guarded 24 hours a day for the last 70 years. Through sunshine or snow these guards meticulously pace 21 steps along the mat, pause for 21 seconds, turn and pace 21 steps back past the tomb. A symbol of 'if you went to war to protect us and fight for freedom - we will forever protect you.'

Inscritpted on the marbled tombstone - "Here rests in honour and glory an American Soldier known but to God."

The cemetery also has the grave sites of JFK and his wife Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

The Capitol Building pictured below is where the legislative branch of American Government (ie - Congress) meets to write the country's laws. It is also where each US president also gets sworn into office.
The layout of DC is extremely impressive. The brilliant white marbled buildings of the Lincoln memorial (which I remember purely from the Simpson's episode where Lisa goes to talk with Abe!!), the Jefferson memorial, Smithsonian Museums, the Reflection pool (famous in the movie Forrest Gump) and the Washington Monument all lie in the Nations Mall. On the outskirts lies the Pentagon! What a site. There are 184 illuminated benches there in memory of those killed in the 9/11 attack when a plane was hijacked from Philly and flown into the back of the building.

We are staying in a log cabin about an hour out of Washington DC - complete with rocking chairs on the front porch!! Very cute. Have been getting out and going for a run most days again and we've all been playing tennis on the nearby courts, ready for when we get back for the tennis season!

Only 2 days left now 'till we board the plane to fly back to the west coast for Los Angeles, then onto Melbourne, Australia! Tomorrow David is heading to the Washington Redskins V's Philadelphia Eagles game.

Will blog one more time before we head off.

Love,
Team Connor USA. XOXOXOX

Philadelphia PA to MARYLAND

Relaxing day at back at our Bushkill villa (Pennsylvania) to recover from New York City! Think we ventured outside at about 1pm! Lots of kids activities that the resort run, so we went to Kids Bingo in the afternoon. Met a nice family from Tennessee and we all went to dinner together.

Up early again the next day and made the 1 and a 1/2 hour drive into Philadelphia. A population of 1.45 million people and home to NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, 76's Basketball, Phillies Baseball team and the Flyers Ice Hockey. All their stadiums were conveniently located together which we came across on the edge of town. Philadelphia also borders on nearby state Delaware. We had to just pop over the border for our 47th state sign photograph!

First stop was the Philadelphia Museum of Arts. Famous for it's Rembrandt's and Picasso pieces inside. Team Connor was there however .......for the "Rocky Steps" that lead to it's entrance! The same staircase that Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) ran up in the 1976 Oscar Winning movie Rocky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIVVL5SDWH8

The view from the top looking back towards Philadelphia central was beautiful.

All in all, we found it to be a really nice city. Lots of Parks, Memorial Squares, Statues, fountains, clean streets and park benches to sit in the sun & relax. Although only 90 miles from the heart of NYC the pace of Philly life was a lot more laid back and livable!

Next day we left Pennsylvania and off down to Amish Country in nearby Lancaster. Very amusing to see all the town's folk out in their beautiful horse drawn black polished buggies off to church for Sunday morning. The surrounding farms had tractors and ploughs sitting out in the paddocks which are all powered by man or animal. No electricity and modern conveniences to be seen. All foods made from scratch and a very different and simple life for these communities. Jackson could not believe that they did not have X boxes or Wii's!

Across the border into our very last continental state .....yes we've done it, the 48th state - Maryland (Washington DC)!

Mission accomplished! But still plenty to do.

For those who may not know, America has 50 states (but 48 are continental). The remaining two - Alaska and Hawaii - one too cold and the other too far away! (techniquely we covered them all, as we meet a family from Alaska and we have watched Hawaii 5 0.)

One week left touring Washington DC before flying out to Los Angeles, then back home to Oz!

Love to all.

Team Connor USA.