Day 41 - Falls Church, Virginia - Home

Day 41 (5 August). We had orginally planned to travel from Columbia to Asheville North Carolina to visit the Smoky Mountains and the Biltmore Estate. Must admit that we were feeling a tad tired and just wanted to head home to Falls Church Virginia - so that is exactly what we did.

The eight hour drive was uneventful until we reached the greater DC area and were quickly reminded of what we had forgotten - drivers in the Greater DC area are the worst. When we left nearly six weeks ago we were stopped on the road for a long period of time, however this time for no apparent reason and the rest of the drive was like being an accordion. To cap it off there was an enormous thunderstorm as we were drove the very busy (and forever road-worked) circular Washington Beltway (the 495). The darks clouds poured rain and cars drove slowly with their hazard lights flashing. What a welcome!

We got home safely about 4.00pm and unloaded the trusty steed. The suspension sighed with relief as the weight of our long camping travels returned to the garage floor. The interior picked up when the vacuum found all those things the kids thought they'd lost along the way like, "has anyone seen my stylus for my Nintendo" - I just did - next to the trash I asked you to clear out in Albuquerque! The Febreeze spray really lifted the spirits of the car.

What a journey - it has been brilliant. It was everything we expected and more. I don't actually think that we will really appreciate it for another few months or even a year.

In the end - we traveled 7,729 miles (12,439 kms) through 26 states in 41 days. We saw a great many things and people.

We trust that you have enjoyed the blog and thanks for following along.

That's all folks!

Day 40 - Columbia, South Carolina

Day 40 (4 August). We left the fun and excitement of the Orlando theme parks behind and headed north for the eight hour drive to Columbia, South Carolina. After a bit of mucking around, we finally got onto Fort Jackson and stopped the evening with a Staff College mate, John Calahan, who is a Battalion Commander on the post. He cooked up a lovely dinner, we drank some nice red wine and chatted away. The kids really enjoyed walking and playing with his dog, Buster, and its not hard to guess what family addition we are getting when we return to Australia.

Day 38 & 39 - Orlando, Florida (Wizarding World of Harry Potter)

Day 38 & 39 (2-3 August). We drove about 20 minutes away from Walt Disney World to Universal Studios with the intention of spending one day at each of the two parks - Islands of Adventure and then Universal Studios. We passed through the entry gates at the advertised opening times and made our way to the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. To be at the front of the line you have to arrive a few hours earlier than we did - and it would seem quite a few did. I was gobsmacked when we got to the entry to Hogsmeade (the village in Harry Potter) and were shown that the entry line-up went another way and wound its way about four hundred metres down through the paths to Jurassic Park. It was amazing walking back that far just to get into the park. Universal staff were on hand to shepherd people along, but also to give out standby tickets you passed to the gate-keepers when you finally reached the front - this was a pretty good means to deter queue jumpers who were subsequently found out and sent to the back of the line.

We tossed up whether to come back later, but decided to hang in and see what happened. Just short of hour later we were inside the very impressive Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was just like being on the set of the movie - the scale, sense of location, attention to detail, character involvement and the shops were perfect. We went straight to Olivander's Wand Store and stood in line for another 30-40 minutes for the kids to get their wands. Now, you can get wands from other places in the park, but we (like many others) wanted one from THE store. To accommodate the enormous numbers of people, rather than every individual being 'sized' for a wand (like in the first movie), they select just one person to represent the group (from the approximate 30 that fit inside the store). Just like the movie the person is measured up and tests different wands with shaky results inside the store until the wand selects them. Well, Matthew was 'the chosen one' for our group. It was terrific to see him go through the process just like Harry Potter - a lot of fun. That was a real treat.

We had Butterbeer, bought large chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's every flavour beans (yes, the vomit tasting one is awful) and rode the park's three rides - Dragon Challenge (a few times); Flight of the Hippogriff; and, The Forbidden Journey (twice). The main ride is The Forbidden Journey and the wait time for the two rides was 60 minutes and 90 minutes - and it was well worth that wait! It is simply outstanding. You line up outside Hogwarts and finally enter and progress through the inside of the school - it's the only way to see the inside - and all the characters are involved. There are talking paintings; the Sorting Hat; Dumbledore's Office; and the use of special effects where you are briefed by Ron, Harry and Herminone on getting to the Quiditch Game (with some magical help) - which, of course getting there and being involved in the the game, is the ride. Fabulous use of 4D style effects - you feel like you are flying along behind Harry and then dropping in and out of different parts of the various movies.

We finally left Harry's World early afternoon of that first day for a look at the rest of Islands of Adventure. There were both some good and lame rides in the rest of the park. We cooled down by getting soaked on a raft ride and then headed back for more Harry. We decided to forego Universal Studios the second day and come back for more Harry. Well, we'd come to Universal specifically for Harry Potter and we couldn't get enough - so the second day saw more of the same. It is that good!

After a fabulous time in Orlando, it's time to hit the road and head north. The next stop is Columbia South Carolina.

Day 36 & 37 - Orlando, Florida

Day 36 (31 July). We revisited Magic Kingdom today and it was great to ride the headline attractions again, but also to better poke around the areas that we had not seen before. We were now familiar with the layout of the park and able to maximize the use of the Fast Pass system. All attractions display the approximate wait time for the ride/show, but the really popular ones also have a Fast Pass system which allows you to get a ride ticket that you use in a future pre-determined time-frame. For instance, if it's 12.30pm and you go to Splash Mountain the normal 'standy-by' wait for a ride might be 60 minutes, but you could get a Fast Pass for between 3.55-4.55pm. You can elect to either stand-in line for an hour or get the Fast Pass, go off and do other things and then come back anytime between that pre-determined period and then go straight to the front of the line. It's up to you. You can't go and collect a range of Fast Passes for every big ride as there are time limits applied to how often you use the system, but it still works pretty well.

We rode Big Thunder Mountain Roller Coaster a few times (the family park favorite); Chloe overcame her fear of Splash Mountain (which was now considered tame after the Tower of Terror yesterday) and also looked at a whole bunch of minor attractions. It was another brilliant day and better than the first day we visited as we knew more.

Day 37 (1 August). We took the same second day approach to Disney Hollywood Studios which we really, really enjoyed. This is such an excellent park and it was great to get an understanding of movie-making and to enjoy their attractions. The movie sets and tours were really informative and the Lights, Motors and Action Extreme Car Stunt Show was great. The backlot tour was informative and we literally found ourselves in the middle of a canyon with an exploding oil tanker that was swamped by hundreds of thousands of litres of water - fabulous! The attention to detail to the small things was really noticeable and appreciated.

Last time we visited the Tower of Terror was the talking point, well this time the Rock'n'Roller Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith took the cake - in a big way. Having been introduced to the 'ride background' by the rock band Aerosmith who invited 'us' to their concert on the other side of town we were soon strapped into the 'limo' which rocketed from 0-60 mph (100 kph) in about two seconds and the next 88 seconds were spent doing high speed loops, turns and twists with Aerosmith music pounding as we criss-crossed town to the concert venue. It was sensational - the best ride yet by far. Unbelievable.

So ends four days at Disney World and next stop is two days at Universal Studios with a focus on Harry Potter World. A large thunderstorm came through Orlando tonight and we hope it will keep crowds away tomorrow. The heat and humidity of the last few days has been a bit torturous, but we are pushing through.

Day 33-35 - Orlando, Florida

Day 33 (28 July). An early departure from Tallahassee meant that we were able to arrive in Orlando before lunch. We checked into Shades of Green which is a resort within Walt Disney World, but it is owned and operated by the US Armed Forces. The rest of the day was spent finding our way around this large resort, doing laundry, thinking about how we wanted to approach the next week and then buying tickets. The kids loved the pool, but the extensive arcade games really took their fancy - and they have been hooked ever since.

Shades of Green has large well equipped rooms and we have plenty of space. The facility and its amenities are extensive (pools, restaurants, transport) and it is a great place to stay.

We have decided upon a four day pass to Disney World and a two day pass to Universal Studios. There are four main parks in Disney World (Magic Kingdom, Disney Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom) whilst there are two main parks at Universal Studios (Islands of Adventure - where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is located and Orlando Studios). We will concentrate on two days each at Magic Kingdom and Disney Hollywood Studios and then two days at Universal Studios.

Day 34 (29 July). Select resorts within Walt Disney World have the opportunity to take advantage of early and late opening hours at select parks at different times throughout the week. We were able to enter Magic Kingdom at 8.00am which was an hour before the general public. There were less crowds and it was a treat to be at the front gate when Mickey and the Disney crew formally opened the gates for the day (though they repeat it gain at 9.00am for the general public). We got some quick photos before heading to Tomorrow Land and riding Space Mountain an indoor roller coaster - it was very exciting. As the other 'lands' opened up we got around to the headline rides early before the large crowds commenced lining up. We thought about the Fast Pass - where you get a ticket and come back at a later pre-determind time and go straight to the front of the line - but it wasn't worth it in the early part of the day. We rode Splash Mountain (after coaxing a very nervous Chloe into the boat - she'd had a previous bad experience on a similar ride at Movie World on the Gold Coast in Australia and was still scarred from the experience); Pirates of the Caribbean; Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin; The Haunted Mansion; and Thunder Mountain Roller Coaster. The minor attractions such as the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse; Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride; Carousal of Progress; Tomorrow Land Speedway; Monster's Inc Laugh Floor; and the like were all good if somewhat tamer than the headline rides. It was fairly hot and humid by lunch so we caught a ferry back to the Polynesian Resort and walked a short distance back to Shades of Green for an afternoon nap (the kids went to the pool). Andrea and I were already feeling exhausted.

After dinner we caught the ferry back to Magic Kingdom and repeated a few of the headline rides. The crowds were still large and whilst we fought through some areas and rides that were fuller than others for the most part it was easy enough to get around. The longest wait we had for a headline ride was 40 minutes. The shops were full of every imaginable product with a Disney label (and we took home some) including a Christmas store which was heaven for Andrea. We watched the evening Main Street Electrical Parade and the nightly Fireworks Show was terrific. Magic Kingdom is enormous and all your senses are constantly over-loaded. It is a visual feast to be here and it is everything that you think and more. You cannot help but get caught up in the 'magic' of Disney. It was a fantastic day and night that we thoroughly enjoyed. We went to sleep quickly and very well.

Day 35 (30 July). We woke mid-morning - thank goodness. Recharged for another sensory onslaught. This time the destination was Disney Hollywood Studios. After some morning laundry and a light lunch we caught the bus to Disney Hollywood Studios. We didn't quite know what to expect as it is smaller than Magic Kingdom, but no less impressive. It was a treat to walk down Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards as they paid tribute in art deco style buildings to the films through the ages. It was very appealing. We tackled a number of attractions (some a bit lame), but four stood out - a half hour Beauty and The Beast Musical; the Tower of Terror; Star Tours and The Great Movie Ride. The Beauty and The Beast Musical in the ampi-theatre was really entertaining (Chloe and Emily loved it). The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror could be heard through the park due to the screams of those taking the ride - a good indicator. It was sensational and Andrea, Chloe and Matthew almost needed heart starters at the end - certainly they screamed and felt sick - whilst Emily and I were okay. You sit in a maintenance elevator and travel forward up, and down inside an old hotel randomly dropping 13 stories (a number of times). It was a beauty, though Andrea and Matthew will never repeat the experience. Star Tours is based upon Star Wars and is a fabulous flight simulator like you are in the movie. It was so good we went back and did it again straight away. The Great Movie Ride traveled through classic film scenes and Hollywood moments. There were great effects and character involvement.

Tomorrow - back to Magic Kingdom (all the wiser for our earlier visit) and then the same for Hollywood Studios on Sunday. We are doing Harry Potter and Islands of Adventure on Monday (heard the wait lines for Potter are horrendous so hope a Monday will bring less crowds) followed by Orlando Studios on Tuesday. By Wednesday we should be shattered and will start our journey back to DC.

Day 32 - Tallahassee, Florida

Day 32 (27 July). We had a lovely drive from Pensacola Beach to Tallahassee, though unfortunately Andrea may have eaten a dodgy oyster last night because she had an upset tummy most of the day and slept whilst the kids and I visited the Tallahassee Automobile Museum. She is feeling better now though she is tired.

Florida's capital city has an outstanding automobile museum which is simply a must-see. I'm not a car-nut in anyway, shape or form, but I couldn't help but get excited about the journey down memory lane. Not just because of the breadth of automobiles, but also the extensive sporting memorabilia; fine pianos (five steinways, including the Alma-Tadema the world's most expensive new piano ever built); historical boats; old outboard motors; motor-cycles; guns; knives; early 1900's type-writers; the list of things goes on. It was brilliant.

They had the original Batmobile from the TV series, the Batmobiles featured in 'Batman Returns' and 'Batman Forever' and the 1948 Tucker Torpedo actually used in the movie 'Tucker'. The muscle cars were all there such as a 1963 Corvette valued over $3 million. They have some of the rarest cars in the country and the place is unbelievable. You can spend hours there. The museum really is a must see and you can view them at www.tacm.com for a list of the cars.

Next stop - Orlando, Florida. Yep, the kids are very excited. We have eight nights inside the Walt Disney World complex. We will also be visiting the new Harry Potter World at Universal Studios (which I think they are most excited about).

Day 31 - Pensacola Beach, Florida

Day 31 (26 July). The sun seemed to shine brighter when we crossed out of Louisiana and into Mississippi. There was a cracking thunderstorm with plenty of driving rain in New Orleans last night. We traveled through the hot and humid countryside and when we entered Alabama we stopped in Mobile. The state's capital is the home to the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park which is dedicated to honor all Alabama veterans who have participated in all conflicts of the US Armed Services. We were able to tour their aircraft hanger (including a flight simulator ride) and walk throughout both the Submarine USS DRUM (SS-228) and the Battleship USS ALABAMA (BB-60). Both served with distinction in WW2 and other conflicts. USS DRUM sank 15 enemy ships and USS ALABAMA shot down 22 enemy airplanes and earned 9 battle stars. We had a great few hours looking all over the vessels and in the end, the consensus was that the submarine was the best.

We then drove into Florida and headed through green fields and traveled over long bridges to Pensacola Beach. Our hotel is on the Gulf of Mexico beachfront and was our first stop. The famous white sand was gleaming, however the beach wasn't busy - the oil spill is having an effect and it's also in the water. After an awful dip in a very wispy green seaweed filled Gulf we looked at our legs and there were small oily smears on them. They might not be clumps of oil, but it is definitely there. Like good Aussie kids, they didn't care and just kept playing and digging sandcastles. After a quick beachside shower we used the hotel pool to get the rest of the crud of us. The Pensacola Beach is good and the area quite relaxing. There is nothing like a sea-breeze, but the water is average - the oil is a problem, but so is the seaweed if it stays the same level and consistency through summer. Still a nice spot to holiday.

Next stop - Tallahassee, Florida