Well July went by fast! I have arrived to mid-point of my 2025 season here in Yellowstone. July was an interesting mix of adventures, in and outside the park. We kicked off the month with a 4th of July Celebration at the Old Faithful Clinic and hosted a cookout for our clinic and EMS staff. Unfortunately it rained during the day and had to move it inside of the ambulance garage. No fireworks permitted inside national parks, so many visitors made their way out of the park and we had a peaceful day shared with friends. Heather headed back home to join her family camping in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, because living in a national park is never enough fun…one must keep moving to see other beautiful parks!
Early in the month I used my time off to explore the mountain ranges just west of Yellowstone. Gravelly Range Road (https://backroadtoyellowstone.com/montana-scenic-drives-gravelly-range-road/) is a trail that winds along the ridge line of several mountain in the 7000-9000 feet range. It was a technically easy drive with spectacular views, amazing wild flower blooms, and not too far from home base. During the second week of July I attended an overland event in Three Forks, Montana which is just about 30 minutes west of Bozeman. The event was hosted by XOverland (www.xoverland.com) a Bozeman based group that produce masterful film docu-series about their global adventures. About 1000 attendees joined in the fun. We camped, shared stories of global adventures great and small, inspired one another, and learned new skills. A wide variety of vehicles were present (including an airplane) and a fleet of prototype Toyota Tacomas to drive along the off-road track over the 400 rural aces of the farm. The weather was perfect, the people were friendly and engaging, the setting majestic, and most of all it was super fun.
As July moved along, the Old Faithful Clinic crew hosted a fireside Taco Tuesday dinner with tasty and visually stunning cocktails. The days that followed included serious work. We responded to a few crashes along the main roads, and had to call the helicopter several times for critical medical and trauma patients. In between the work and play, we did search-and-rescue training with our Old Faithful crew, including a some of our clinic staff that are gaining new credentials to be a part of the team. On occasion I found myself on a long ambulance ride (3 hours one way) to the regional trauma center in Idaho Falls, which comes with the benefit of getting to enjoy a quick stop to get Thai food on the return trip.
July turned out to be hot and very dry. We are now in wildland fire season with fires kicking off all across the west, including a few small ones inside Yellowstone. Our wildland fire crew has been busy containing the fires quickly, but August will bring more challenges as the dry weather continues. Many visits from friends and family are ahead, and I look forward to being the tour guide. Wishing you all a healthy and happy August, and thanks for following along!
