Day 18 - Thursday 13 January

The happiest place on Earth - no more needs to be said - this could possibly be the shortest blog post yet!
The day started early once again with us having shuttles to Disneyland at 9 and 9.30am, thus an 8.15am wakeup to allow time for breakfast. Once there we obtained our tickets and went for it - under the proviso that they always stayed in groups of 2 or more, and that we would check in at 2pm and 8pm.
Disneyland, for those who've never been lucky enough to go, is a fantastic experience, and here in LA that experience is shared with the California Adventure Park as well. Highlights for the day include the fun many had in groups (I've put a few photos taken and one we bought onto this blog), rides on Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Jungle Cruise (yes, the jokes from the boat driver were worse than mine), the many times we went together on the Hollywood Tower Hotel ride, California Soaring and California Screaming just to name a few. Our men struggling with sickness all braved the day and enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine (quite a contrast to the cold we had experienced on the East Coast) and the fresh air.
We finished the day as a group watching the light and water show at the Adventure Park before boarding the hotel shuttle back for an early night - around 9pm. This gave us all a chance to do the final packing of bags and get an earlier night than many have been - 2 nights in a row in bed on the same day I got up is certainly a record.
With only one more blog post to go at LA Airport tomorrow night, I'm starting to feel a bit sad about the trip ending and not being able to say good morning to so many beautiful young men - they have been absolutely fabulous to travel with.
Our heroes to thank tonight include:
My two sons, Michael and Lachlan, who have been outstanding help in so many ways - Michael coaching the Junior Varsity team and Lachlan the Varsity boys, both in conjunction with me, driving, packing luggage, helping out the boys on the tour and making them feel looked after and welcome, and so many other things including many of the ideas of events we took part in - thanks sons!
Maud and Kenny Georgetown and Stephanie Button - our three other adults who have helped out so much too - washing, ironing, especially helping the younger indigenous boys, so many 'behind the scenes' things - your help has been fabulous, thanks.
And lastly to my good friend and tour manager Scott Stanford - words cannot describe the level of help and support Scott has given not only me but everyone on the tour. He has been a fabulous ear to listen to ideas and thoughts, has born the brunt of some of my frustrations, and keeps on bouncing back and smiling! I could not have asked for a better person to help with this tour - stand tall and proud Scott - all of us on this tour salute and thank you, and I especially thank you from the bottom of my heart!
One more day in the US - another pretty full one - here we come.

Day 17 - Wednesday 12 January

An early start for all as we drove out of our hotel at 6.15am headed for Charlotte Airport. A quick stop to refuel the hired vans and we lined up for what might be described as one of the most inefficient and painful check-ins imaginable. Having arrived at the airport at 6.30am for a 9.20am departure, some of us were paged and had to run for the plane as they were threatening to close the door on us! Many saw 'determinded Richard' in action!
A layover in Dallas/Fort Worth airport of about 2 hours was welcomed after the 2.5 hour flight, and we then boarded the plane heading for LA - one of our staff member was only allocated his seat as he walked to the door, after 'forceful Richard' made it clear none of the group were going if all of the group could not stay together.
We arrived in LA at 3.30pm (Pacific time - 3 hours back from Charlotte time) and headed for the luggage carousel only to find 42 bags had not made it onto our flight in Dallas. 'Frustrated Richard' found a helpful staff member who saw that the bags had been put onto the next flight, which landed in time for us to collect them all before we had to leave the airport by bus.
The bus arrived and we were greeted by a driver who had little personality and not much idea on packing the luggage onto the bus, resorting to just throwing it into the compartments - and guess what - it didn't all fit, so we organised the process to unload and reload to get it all in. 'Pulling hair out Richard' came into action, but at least he was still smiling! We headed from the airport straight to the Staples Center to see the LA Clippers v Miami basketball game. This was quite an experience - the stands were full with over 22,000 people, it was very 'Hollywood' in it's production and was a fantastic experience. The Clippers shocked everyone by winning too!
Back onto the bus and we headed out the freeway toward our hotel, just near Disneyland, arriving at around 11.15pm - a very long day considering in LA time zone we had bee moving since 3am!
My special thanks tonight go to three more of our staff group for their untiring efforts. Jeff Campbell has been our first aid man, our luggage packer extraordinaire, and an untiring helper throughout the whole travel experience - thanks so much for all you've done Jeff.
Wayne O'Brien has been our Freshman Coach, the man who brought up the rear of the group every time (including when driving, which was the most difficult place to be in a chain of 5 vans), the man who found every wifi hotspot in the country and has helped in so many ways I can't mention - a real champion of our team.
Thirdly, thanks to Robyn Mann - our team 'mum'. Robyn has looked after the boys in so many little ways - all the time while also caring for her own family on the tour. The boys have really appreciated her wise words, helpful gestures, washing care and being brave enough to be one of our van drivers as well. Thanks Robyn - a fabulous effort.
Sorry - no photos on the blog tonight as it has got too late and we have a few boys suffering from travellers belly - they are not very well at all and 3 of them spent the whole basketball game in the first aid room asleep, while we had to take one to hospital as he was so ill. We're looking after Jack, Tom, Lachlan and Cambell very well - I promise, and I don't think they'll eat McDonalds again for a little while after the food they had from Dallas airport Maccas.

Day 16 - Tuesday 11 January

On every tour you need a slow day - and today was that one. Scott Minogue and I checked that it was open (with me hitting the deck on the ice in the carpark) and worked out a safe way for us to all walk over the road to get there. Those who were keen (about two thirds of the group) braved the slippery (and I mean slippery!!) walk down and across the road to enjoy one of America's special places for breakfast - IHOP (International House of Pancakes) - where, for $5 you can get two eggs, bacon, sausage, has brown and all the pancakes you can eat!! Mullie took the honours with 8, followed closely by Scott Stanford and myself with 5!
We left the hotel at about 11am bound for Concord Mills, the big outlet shopping center, and arrived to find many shops not yet open, and some never to open, due to the weather. There were very few people out shopping, especially up to about 2pm, so we all enjoyed an uninterrupted shopping spree. It took Karen and me over 3 hours just to walk right around past all the shops!! Many on the tour got some great bargains (I hope you enjoy the presents they bought you all!) and it took until about 4.30pm before we started to gather ready to head back to the hotel.
By 5pm the center was closed - early due to the weather (usual opening hours are 10am to 9pm) - but we had had plenty of time as at times it seemed as if we were the only people there.
Back at the hotel we asked the boys to take of their labels, get rid of the boxes, and pack their bags ready for the early departure tomorrow morning. We packed the luggage van tonight, as we need to drive out of here around 6am tomorrow, bound for Charlotte Airport en-route to Los Angeles.
Had some fun trying to find somewhere open for dinner at 7.30pm - it seems they are not really prepared for the snow and ice here in Charlotte and many people did not brave the roads getting to work. We finally found a fantastic restaurant called 'Cheddars' and had a wonderful meal - quite fitting as our last sit down meal together in the USA.
It is timely to talk about three of the 'heroes' of our staff team tonight - I can't tell you how much patience and understanding they have shown throughout the trip and how much work, much behind the scenes, which has made things run so smoothly. My first thanks go to Lynne Cronan, one of our 'mums' who has been our go-to person for boys not feeling well - she has been superwoman to many of them, handing out cough mixture and treating sore throats - thanks so much Lynne.
Secondly, thanks to Scott Minogue, our accommodation manager. He has been the person checking us all in and out, handing out keys, fixing the problems which occur sometimes with boys not getting organised to share their rooms, and then checking their rooms at the end of each stay (helped by Lynne and Robyn) - thanks for taking this weight off my shoulders Scott - you've been magnificent.
Lastly to my wife Karen who has looked after all our financial dealings, keeping receipts and chasing up who I gave money to and why. She's also been the one to clean up when one of the boys was sick, and been an incredible support - thanks so much Karen.
So off we head in the morning to LA for our next installment.

Day 15 - Monday 10 January

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better - it did!!!!!!!
Our first day of traveling with the mini buses so the first task of the day was the jigsaw of packing the luggage van with all of the bags for the group - plus the back seat of two of our passenger buses as well. Jeff Campbell's packing skills came to bear - he did an awesome job!
We left Raleigh at about 9.15am and headed south along the most awesome network of freeways. The travel time was listed as 2 hours 30 minutes, but we knew that we were heading into some poor weather which might slow us down. One of our group felt ill during the trip (yes, it was a bit of a mess) but otherwise the trip went well, and about an hour out of Charlotte the snow flakes floated down - it was amazing!! Whilst we did have to slow down a little, it was worth it for the beautiful sight of snow in the trees and bushes, all over the ground and all around.
We arrived at our hotel at about 1.30pm (see, it did take longer than we thought) to find that due to the snow fall most things around were closed - even the Burger King in the car park! Many of us ordered pizzas for lunch to fill the gap, and got ourselves ready for a 4pm departure to go to the Charlotte Bobcats. We traveled in to town very slowly due to the sleet falling (about 11 miles) and parked across from the arena in an empty carpark. After a short bout of shopping in the team shop we were escorted courtside to watch the team shootaround - an absolutely awesome experience to get so close to the players and many were able to get their autographs. We enjoyed the chance to be the only people in the arena for nearly an hour, and I got a interviewed by the radio announcer. As the weather had been so bad all day, and was threatening to be worse tonight, they were expecting a very small crowd, so our seats were moved twice - from the top stand to the back of the lower stand, then to 6 rows from the court! AMAZING!!!!! Once people started to filter in it became obvious that the crowd would be very small (they really are a bit soft down here if a little snow keeps them away from a game) and by tipoff only about 1700 people were in the arena which seats nearly 20,000! At quarter time many of us moved - Lachlan, Cambell and I took up front row seats - it was an incredible experience to be so close to the game - we could hear the players, see their faces and really experience the whole thing!! Others moved over closer to the bench, as at the end sat Michael Jordan! You'll see the amazing photo Chris Tippelt took here on the blog. Mullie and Tom got a chance to compete in the quarter time game of tick-tack-toe on the court (well done on winning Mullie) and Christian, Dan and Tom got to sit courtside for the second half. Seriously, an unforgettable experience!!
Following the game we braved the light sleet falling to walk back to the vans, only to find a thick coating of ice on all the windows. Once the heaters were rolling we were able to scrape the ice from the windshields, and wind down the side windows and put our fist through the ice which had set across the window space.
It was a very slow drive home - very few cars on the road but much ice and snow which made conditions treacherous, to say the least - possibly the hardest conditions I have ever driven in. We did all arrive safely and are now settled in to the warmth of our hotel.

Day 14 - Sunday 9 January

Our first relaxed morning for the tour - those who needed to get washing or banking done got help at 10am, whilst others slept in - us meeting only at 11.30am to board the buses and head for the RBC center yet again, this time to watch the Carolina Hurricanes play the Atlanta Thrashers in Ice Hockey. It was great to get the opportunity to go down to 'ice level' to watch the teams warm up before the game began, and a few of our group made the venture down to the front row after the first period to fill some empty seats. The game was fabulous, and we all enjoyed not only the spectacle on the ice but the wonderful entertainment throughout all the breaks. The game ended in a draw - and the sudden death overtime saw Carolina score and take the win. At the end of the game they invited any of the kids in the crowd who wanted to go down to the ice to take a shot at goal, and many of our group took that opportunity!
From there we headed off for our first shot at outlet shopping. Whilst it was a long drive, many people did quite a bit of damage to their cash reserves, buying clothes and shoes, watches and underwear, and much more.
Back to the Golden Corral again for a dinner buffet, a most amazing feed, and then to the hotel just after 9pm to get much needed packing done in preparation for our trip to Charlotte in the morning.

Day 13 - Saturday 8 January

This morning we awoke to seeing snow falling outside our windows - only light but it was so exciting! After breakfast we headed off to visit the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a College with over 35,000 students which was founded in 1792, only 4 years after Australia was first settled. We drove around a little to view parts of the college (and because we got lost!) before we ended up at the Dean E Smith Center - the home of the Tar Heels basketball team. Just as we arrived it started to snow - and we all really enjoyed the experience of walking around whilst it fell upon us. Not a lot of snow fell, but it was enough to make it very exciting! The basketball museum was fascinating - just reading and looking at the wonderful collection of memorabilia was fascinating. For those who don't know, this was the University that Michael Jordan attended, and there was great interest to see his display. From there were headed to the North Carolina Student shop - many people bought lots of clothing and other items here, especially as the NC symbol is the same as ours!
We left there at 1pm and headed for the RBC Center to watch the NCAA game North Carolina State v Wake Forest. During the drive we drove through another quite heavy snowfall - whilst none has yet collected on the ground it has been fabulous to see it. Predictions are that by Monday it will get heavier.
The basketball center was huge - and so much fun! The $5 tshirts were popular and made many feel a real part of the red and white crowd. NC State ran away with an easy win. From there we visited the biggest shopping mall in town - Crabtree Valley, and many bought some clothing and those special shoes they had been planning for. Last stop was another Golden Corral buffet restaurant - all you can eat and drink for around $12 a person. We were even given our own room! We enjoyed this so much that we have booked in for tomorrow.
It was such a pleasant change to be back at the hotel by 9pm - hopefully the boys will get a chance to get some much needed sleep tonight.

Special Blog Post - Basketball on tour

Now that our games are over I thought it timely to talk about how important the role of these games was. During the course of the tour each team played 6 games - and every school experience was completely different.
Our first games in Connecticut v Norwich Free Academy were a real eye opener to all - the whole experience of being in a school for the first time was very exciting and the boys revelled in their new found importance. Norwich is a large school, well known for its strong academic program and is set in a beautiful part of this country. Newspaper interviews, cheer girls, half time entertainment, the differences in rules between their games and ours back home and the fact that people were being charged for entrance just name a few! Whilst we did not hold our own on the court that day due to the intense tiredness of all from our travel we did really enjoy the chance to play in a beautiful school.
Our second set of games was a few days later, back in Connecticut against Nathan Hale Ray School, a lovely small school in a picturesque area. Just having a chance to have the boys practice together first gave us more of an edge, and that each of the older boys had been billeted before the games meant there was more at stake (in their minds at least!). Another big crowd turned up to watch and the atmosphere was fantastic - very different from our first school (less upbeat) - and we played much better and those guys with limited experience playing found it much easier. Our Freshmen drew, our JV side just lost by a point and our Varsity boys held their own for most of the game but struggled at the end to their second loss.
Our Junior Varsity and Varsity guys had their third games in yet another very different style of school, an inner city gym in the basement of the Hunter College High School in central Manhattan, New York. The JV side played really well and took out a strong win, whilst the Varsity side really struggled to play well together early in the game, hitting their straps after half time and just fell short.
Game 3 for our Freshman was against Sidwell Friends - a very wealthy school in Washington DC and the school which Barack Obama's daughters attend. Our boys again played with incredible passion, but fell just short of the win.
Game 4 for all was in Virginia - the Freshman side played Monticello High whilst the JV and Varsity side played Robert E Lee High. By this time we were struggling to believe how you could play in four places which were so different from each other. Our JV boys were fantastic in this game, playing with huge passion and taking out an easy win. The Varsity side played really well in parts, but not well in others, and struggled to gain any sort of foothold - going down easily.
Game 5 was our first in North Carolina in yet again another quite different style of school. This was a Christian School in a little town about an hour out of Raleigh, and the whole group were African American. Trinity were so very athletic, able to jump, play great D and very well disciplined. Our Freshmen just lost, our JV were soundly beaten but this was the best game on tour from our Varsity boys. But for a few minutes where the opposition could not miss from outside the three point line we might have got up, but missed out on the win.
Our last set of games was yet another very different experience as it was at Wake Crossroads Baptist Church, a base for boys who were being home schooled. Each of our teams won, the JV and Varsity teams easily and the Freshmen just getting up.
So all in all the doors that these basketball games opened were fantastic - our three billet experiences were fabulous and enjoyed by all and the friendship and fellowship shown by all our American hosts was something to be believed - so many of us have made friends for life.