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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/nped/. 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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Previous 7/16 |
Sunday, 8-1-99Continued from Yesterday . . . Ol’ Vern was as good as they come in dude operations. He and June had been coming to Jackson Lake Lodge from Smith Flat, California, for years. Made every saddle for Jackson Lake Lodge himself. That was twenty years ago. He and June are still doing fine in Smith Flat according to the Christmas cards we exchange every year. He drove me over to the Colter Bay camp store and pointed out the exact Uncle Henry pocket knife I should buy. He measured me for chaps and custom made a pair. When a sale flyer from Keyston Saddlery in Denver came in the mail, he pointed out a good deal on the “Working Rancher” model and said I couldn’t go wrong buying it. I paid $700 for that saddle and later used it on the Grand Canyon mule rides seven hours a day for six years. With a Modified Association tree, it’s the most comfortable ride anyone could wish for, and it fits like a glove on both horses and mules. It’s twenty years old and barely looks broke in. I learned a lot that first year with Vern. I’ll never forget the first day in the employee cafeteria with my new silver belly beaver felt hat. “Take off your hat when you eat,” Vern said, “or they’ll think you’re a dishwasher or truck driver.” He showed me how to load a pickup with 21 full bales of hay and tie them down with a single rope and a double Dutchman. He even gave me a few lessons in shoeing. At the end of the season, I signed on with Pinky Bonner’s Hunting Camp on Arizona Creek. I’ll tell that story another time.  |
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