We arrived to our new home on Whidbey Island, WA

Finally arrive in Washington State

Taking the Ferry from the mainland to Whidbey Island

So excited!!!

Our first view of our new "home."

Nice welcoming sign

We captured a quick picture while driving over Deception Pass a.k.a. the bridge to leave Whidbey Island

First views of Seattle

Day 5 in Montana, Idaho, and finally Washington

Woke up to snow in Montana

Our rush hour traffic while driving through Ennis, MT was a herd of cattle. Robert stayed calm and helped the farmers to  lead the herd to greener pastures. Shannon just about wet her pants and shrunk in the seat.

We didn't see any potatoes, but we did stop to eat in a town with a population of 23.  What a beautiful state!

FINALLY, we arrive in our new "home" state. Only one more days travel until we officially make it to Oak Harbor, WA.

Day 4 in Wyoming and Montana

We enjoyed lunch at a cute saloon in Wyoming

Traveled over 5,000 feet to a total of 8,700 feet elevation while passing through mountains in Wyoming.

Finally made our way to Yellowstone National Park

See if you can find the ELK

See if you can find the BUFFALO

Just in case anyone forgets...

The BigHorn Sheep who happened to be strolling down the road

Made it into Montana and stayed at Big Al's Westward Ho Motel. The best part is we were within feet of Yellowstone National Park and walking distance to many great restaurants.

updates from Wyoming, Montana and Washington coming soon...

Due to a lack of internet connection we were unable to update last night. However, we did go to sleep and wake up with snow. We also saw many wild animals in their natural habitat so stay tuned for some amazing photos.

Day 3 in Pierre, South Dakota

Crawfords cross the Mississippi River for the first time 

Welcoming us to a VERY wide state

Beautifully black rolling hills that greeted  us, following
hundreds of miles of flat farmland.

The Missouri River a.k.a. "The Wide Missouri" with our new family duck.

View of Fort Pierre, SD

Things Learned on Day 3:

1. Wisconsin has beautiful rolling hills that end at the Minnesota and then it is flat once more
2. 30 mph wind really decreases fuel economy but allows hundreds of windmills to store the energy
3. You can see for miles when trees are short and land is flat
4. Gas stations that offer casinos and a car wash do not provide a thorough wash
5. You know your in South Dakota when you are the only car on the highway at "rush hour"
6. Unlike I95, I90 does not have out of state license plates (except ours)
7. Some states choose to use red pavement/concrete...what about the colorblind

Day 2 in Madison, WI

Wisconsin welcomed us, but Illinois never thanked us for coming

First beer of the trip at the Great Dane Brew Pub downtown

What our founding father now represents (lunch anyone?)

Enjoying our first German restaurant experience...

and they dressed in authentic garb and served us lots of carbs :)

Things Learned on Day 2:

1. Rush hour in Indianapolis is very tame: nobody tailgates, honks, or shows the bird while waiting patiently
2. Chicago is very expensive to drive through, but at least our East Coast EZPass worked for those 10+ tolls
3. Madison, WI was named after our 4th President, James Madison, while 38 of the streets were named for signers of the Constitution
4. Its not an island, but you can see a body of water on either side of the city
5. The students enjoyed their afternoon in the low 70's with sunbathing, biking, running, and eating lunch on the beach...I don't recall life being so difficult ;)

First Day and First Stop = Indianapolis, IN

Crossing over the Indiana State Line (after 10 hours)

Beginning our Crawford family road trip

Zeke a.k.a. "Macho Kid" showing us his moves

Spending time with the Harris Clan (Shannon's side of the family)

Things Learned from Day 1:

1. You can leave a state, then re-enter said state while driving in the same direction, i.e. WV
2. It gets really flat after leaving PA, but the gas mileage increases
3. Billboards reminded us that JESUS is REAL and Eternity is a long time to be wrong

Presenting LT Robert Weldon Crawford

Celebrating with Robert's parents and Uncle Mac Thacher

LT Crawford, May 2012

After the Naval Officer Graduation Ceremony in Newport, RI