Everyone except Charley laughed.
The next morning they boarded the big Norseman plane and headed northwest up the coast for Valdez. As they flew over the glacier-ribbed mountains, the boys were awed by the wild beauty of the country beneath them.
“It’s so primitive,” Sandy remarked. “I don’t think man will ever tame it.”
“Yes, he will,” Dr. Steele said. “As surely as he tamed the American West. We just didn’t pay much attention to it until after World War Two.”
“A land of untold riches,” Lou Mayer mused. “Gold, copper, silver, coal, lead, tin, mercury, platinum—Lord knows what else.” He looked over meaningfully at Dr. Steele.
“Things are certainly moving fast,” Dr. Steele went on, a little too quickly, Sandy thought. “Oh, yes, Son, in another fifty years Alaska will be as civilized as California.”
“But not nearly so warm,” Lou Mayer added.
Professor Crowell smiled. “I don’t know, I like our northern winters. They make for greater intimacy among families and friends. When the temperature is fifty below zero and the snow is piled up to your window sills, there is literally no place like home. You discover that being together in front of a warm fireplace can be just as enjoyable as running off to the theater, bridge clubs, night clubs, bowling alleys and all your so-called civilized diversions. The trouble with so many young people these days is that they try too hard to have fun.”
Jerry scratched his head thoughtfully. “Professor, you know, you’re right. I can’t think of any time in my life when I’ve had more fun than I did the Christmas Eve we spent at that little weather station.”
Dr. Steele took out a small wallet calendar and consulted it. “Which reminds me that tonight is New Year’s Eve.”