On The Road Again...

After a great two days with family and a huge Pittsburgh Steelers playoff win, I loaded up the truck and continued my trip to FBINA 263.  I decided to take a slightly different route in order to take in the scenic views of the Appalachian Mountain range through West Virginia and Maryland.  I also shaved about thirty minutes off the trip and saved nearly fifty dollars in tolls to the Pennsylvania turnpike!  I was reminded how beautiful my home state of West Virginia really is.  I was also reminded of how unpredictable the weather can be, driving through near blizzard like conditions in the peaks to warm temps in the valleys.  The drive was a short 250 miles, covered in a little over four hours, bringing the total miles from Nebraska to nearly 1300.  I'm staying in Frederick Maryland overnight and will travel to Quantico for registration in the morning.

One of the most valuable benefits of attending the FBINA is the opportunity to establish professional relationships with other law enforcement leaders from across the country and the world.  While in Frederick, I was glad to have the opportunity to spend some time with one of my Iowa NA classmates, who is staying in the same hotel.  I met Greg Stallman, a Major from the Woodbury County Sheriffs Office in Sioux City Iowa, while attending the FBINA orientation at the Omaha FBI field office earlier this year.  It was nice to hang out with another classmate before our session starts, proving Husker fans and Hawkeye fans can get along! 

    

I'm about 78 miles from completing this road trip.  I'll be in Quantico in about 10 hours and 263rd session of the FBINA will be underway.  I'm excited for the opportunity and looking forward to the weeks ahead.