So at coffee in Laramie on Wednesday morning, I found out that Dick Cheney was coming to town on Saturday.

By Thursday morning, the friend had received permission to leave work early on Saturday morning.

And so the alarm rang at 4:30 a.m., and my eyes were scratchy.

I showered and was not finished dressing when the friend, who by now had been awake for 28 hours, arrived 10 minutes before 5.

We drove in the dark, two pioneering souls in our early and late 50's, to experience something we never had before -- a political rally with the vice president of the United States in the high school I graduated from.

There was an annoying hiccup outside, but after that, it was an incredible 2-1/2 hours.

Official numbers put the crowd at 300 -- I would have thought it was smaller than that.

It was a Pi Phi reunion, with Bobbi Barrasso, Cynthia Lummis, Barb Dilts and I.

So then it was Vice President Cheney's turn, and it was obvious that it meant a lot to him to be there -- in Laramie, where he and Lynne first lived as newlyweds in married student housing.

He said in his three decades in public service, "I was proud to be recognized as the 'gentleman from Wyoming.'"

Afterward, much of the crowd in front of us began filing out. We were still chatting with assorted friends, and then I realized the television spotlight was on, in the front row.

No, the vice president hadn't ducked behind the blue curtain. Instead, he was signing autographs for anyone who was smart enough to walk to the front instead of to the exit.

I had nothing for him to sign -- no bumper stickers, no huge placards, nothing.

So after a derailment to hug the Albany County Sheriff, who also is a Laramie High Class of '74 graduate, I was right there.

The vice president was chatting with a woman and I didn't want to interrupt, so I stuck out my hand and said, "Thank you for your service."

And he shook my hand.

Was it worth waking at 4:30 a.m.? Absolutely.

And then the Pokes won.

It was an awesome day.