Dear The DX Magazine:
   In the May/June 1995 issue you ran a letter written by a NL7 ham, attacking my Alaska article published earlier. However, instead of mentioning any specific fault in my travelogue, he is grumbling about matters not related to it al all.
   Obviously, he did not understand what he was reading and he has the sense of humor of a smoked salmon. According to his note, he retired and lives in a small village in the northwest area of the state that is accessible only by plane. He states he doesn’t like tourists. That is too bad, because tourism is one of Alaska’s main revenues and every resident, one way or another, benefits from it. But, not seeming to be a very likable fellow, he is probably in no danger of attracting tourists anyway.
   He criticizes the rest of the United States saying that “rudeness, being extremely cheap, and self-centered people is still alive and well in the lower 48s, forgetting that he, himself, is a by-product, even if not a benign one, of one of those states.
   He especially dislikes New York and asks is an Alaskan was to spend a month in New York, would he survive to tell the tale. I bet that there are many Alaskan who have visited New York, enjoyed themselves, and are still alive today.
   To prove that there is more integrity in his village than in the rest of the country, he states that he leaves his keys in his ATV, boat, and snowmobile. Big deal. If his village were accessible only by plane, who would steal an ATV, a boat or even a snowmobile, and fly away with it?
   He doesn’t like McDonald’s either. That’s okay, McDonald’s will continue to prosper without his patronage and feed millions of hungry travelers.
   He dislikes so many things and so many people that I am wondering if anybody ever liked him, with the possible exception of a lovesick moose.
   The Callbook lists his address in Galena and on the official map issued by the state of Alaska, Galena is located south of the 65th parallel. The bulk of Alaska, except for the panhandle and the Aleutians, extends roughly from the 60th to the 70th parallel, therefore the 65th parallel is in the center, rather than the northwestern part of the state. Or the Callbook is wrong and he doesn’t live in Galena; or the official state map is inaccurate; or the man doesn’t really know where he lives.
   Furthermore, if he resides in Galena, I wonder about his claim that his place is accessible only by plane. The mighty Yukon River flows right through his neighborhood, and he owns a boat. Also, the Iditarod dog-sled trail goes through his village, and he has an all-terrain vehicle. How did his ATV get to his place “accessible only by plane”? It was flown in by a bush pilot? Something is not quite right.
   He writes that recently he was badly shaken by the thought that he might have lost his perspective on why ha came to Alaska. However, my two-part Alaska Adventure made him realize why he moved there and he thanks The DX Magazine for that. People in the lower 48, don’t you ever forget who saved you from getting this guy back.
73 George  WB2AQC
P.S. If he dares to come to New York and survives, I may buy him a Big Mac.