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Hi. I’m Ben Benton from Flagstaff, Arizona. I believe that you will enjoy my daily journal from Yellowstone National Park during the summer of 1999. I left downtown Flagstaff with my saddle and duffel in early July and lighted in the horse corral at Mammoth Hot Springs. My journal will continue through September 20th, unless the weather shuts us down earlier. You’ll read about adventures on the back country trails, Yellowstone history, people I meet, and anything else I can think of to write about. I’m the author of “National Park Employment Data,” a guide to working in national parks, which is available for purchase on my web site at www.gorp.com. I’ve been working in national parks and ski areas off and on for over twenty years. Because I want the data in my book to always be fresh, I continually test the concepts, employers, and tips that I provide. Right now, I’m working for Amfac Parks and Resorts. They are a top notch concession company because they place employee training, morale, and amenities first. |
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Tuesday, 7-20-99I called Rick Railson in Butte, Montana, to see what’s new with him. Rick and I go back 26 years, starting as friends at a small Lutheran Church in Flagstaff, then roommates in Upper Greenlaw, and finally roommates again in Los Angeles while I was controller of L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills. They say “new friends are silver, but old friends are gold,” or something to that effect, and it sure is true with Rick. Rick was the original Haight Asbury hippy in the 60s, growing dope on the roof of the Bank of America building next to his tenement. He went on to graduate from Cal State at Chico University, living in his van in the school parking lot and spending his financial aid on everything but proper food and housing. He’s quite different now, working as a civilian for the U.S. Army in Butte conducting tests on high school kids for military suitability. I don’t know how Rick met Tom Sperry, but they were good friends back when I met Rick. The three of us have hung together for many years, upholding each other in good times and bad. Tom is a “resource management” person at Madison Ranger Station in Yellowstone and has been a park “junkie” as long as I have known him. He’s seen them all from Florida to Washington state. We’re going to get together to celebrate Rick’s birthday on August 13th somewhere central to the three of us. We’re within 150 miles of each other. The employee cafeteria served prime rib tonight. I don’t
know if this stuff is left over or made especially for us, but
it sure was good. |
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