Yellowstone Journal

	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.
Previous Journals 7/16 7/17 7/18 7/19 7/20 7/21 7/22 7/23	Saturday, 7-24-99 When I was planning to come to Yellowstone, I checked for cellular towers in the area and couldn’t find any, so I left my cellular phone in Flagstaff. Once here, I noticed people talking on them in the Mammoth area. The “Yellowstone Today” publication given tourists at the gate now has an ad for Cellular One, promising cellular service throughout the park. Guess I’ll have Kelley send my phone to me. Today I’m going to write about the commercial services in the park. As I just mentioned, there is now cellular available in most areas. Yellowstone Park Medical Services, a division of West Park Hospital in Cody, Wyoming, operates Lake Clinic, Pharmacy and Hospital, Old Faithful Clinic, and Mammoth Clinic. Lake Hospital is an acute-care facility with ten inpatient beds, a clinical lab, pharmacy, radiology, and 24-hour ambulance. Hamilton Stores have been in the park since 1915. They offer gifts, film, lunch counters, fishing and camping supplies, and nature items. Yellowstone National Park Lodges is owned by Amfac Parks & Resorts. They operate the hotels, restaurants, marina, bus tours, and horse rides. YPSS, Yellowstone Park Service Stations, provide gas, tires, batteries, auto accessoriness, towing, and repair services. And, finally, Montana Power Company supplies the electricity.
	Copyright ©1999 Ben Benton -- All Rights Reserved Ben Benton 124 North San Francisco Street, Suite 100 Flagstaff, Arizona 86001-5250 (520) 779-5300 Facsimile (520) 213-8425 e-mail [email protected]