Visiting the Prudhoe Bay protected area

My son Paul is a month into a five-month trip to Alaska. He called Sunday from a small campsite near Prudhoe Bay, where you can get to the gate but you can’t get in unless you have a permit or work there.

There are about 2,000 workers at the oil site, mostly Eskimos who reside in nearby villages.

The oil-and-gas site is expansive and the living quarters are huge, allowing for an influx of temporar...