I spent the majority of last night in Hungry Horse, arguably one of the more dangerous places in the nation to be on the 4th of July. I don’t think they’ve beat Eureka, but the residents sure seem to try. This year I did not hear the tell-tale sirens that signal the A.L.E.R.T. helicopters, which means it may have been an injury free 4th in the canyon.

Not so in nearby Columbia Falls. I was driving home and had to wait for a bit while ambulances carried a couple of celebrators off to the hospital. The smell of sulfur was a little thicker than usual, and I’m almost certain that a fireworks catastrophe had occurred. I think the lights from the firetrucks, police cars and ambulances were brighter than the fireworks.

A good time was had by all at the festivities where I was at, and no one got hurt. Well, mostly, but I’m not going to tell you how a crackle ball in the cleavage area happens.

Here’s one of my favourite photos of the night, which I took during the finale. A slide-show of the rest will happen within the next few days. I have to make one slide-show for friends, and one for you guys, so it may take a few…

And finally, I hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday!

Edit: And oh, Darn! Jesse Helms is dead.