Across The Great Divide

Let's face it. Dick Cheney and I are two very different kinds of people. He is ruthless, conniving and stern, while I am merciful, insouciant and forgiving. "Live and let live" is what I say, "You'll pay for this you dog" says Cheney. So isn't it strange coincidence that we should live such different lives and yet both arrive in Kalispell, Montana, of all places, on the very same day. I'm here because I need a place to sleep, and he's here to campaign for some local Republican.

Of course the Kalispellians are excited to have the VP in town, partly because he's the VP but also partly because he's a westerner like them. Cheney was sure to point that out too, in case anyone forgot. They didn't forget. They understand Cheney and he understands them. For example, when an easterner, say a New Yorker, hears that Cheney has accidentally shot his friend in the face with a shotgun he is horrified. "What's wrong with him?" he asks. When a Montanan hears that Cheney has shot someone in the face, however, he just shrugs his shoulders and says "Yup. I've done that."

Anyways, Cheney came and gave a speech and left, but I'm going to stick around till tomorrow morning. Had quite a drive through western Montana today with all the rain and wind and lightning and such. The storm is actually good news for the drought-stricken people who live here, but it kinda put a damper on my day. They haven't had any rain up here for quite a while and so, of course, as soon as I show up the skies start to darken and the storms start moving in.


The rain started to fall around the time I got to Helena and continued while I went up north through Great Falls and Shelby and on into Glacier National Park. Not a great day for hiking or picture taking but a good day for weather watching, especially the lightning storm that came moving into Kalispell this evening. Awesome, dude.

So I think I'll head west tomorrow. Try to get behind this storm front. Who knows, maybe I'll run into Cheney again.