Big Miracle

---

For thousands of years,

my people have lived

at the edge of the world.

Unknown, alone,

until one brief moment

when the world found us.

Feel its rhythm.

We have to be

close enough to touch.

We must know where the abviq

will surface before it does.

Can you tell me?

Concentrate!

Come on, concentrate.

Kill abviq.

Kill abviq!

Inspired by a true story

Barrow, Alaska

October, 1988

The avocado,

a native fruit of Mexico and the key

ingredient used in making guacamole.

Now, nothing grows

in this brutal climate.

So, how did the avocado end up 300

miles north of the Arctic Circle?

Well, this little guy and pretty

much everything else in town

has to take

four separate plane rides

to arrive up here

in chilly Barrow, Alaska.

As you can imagine, the folks

here at Amigos restaurant,

the northern-most Mexican

restaurant in the world,

well, they can't get enough

of this special treat.

Hey, guys,

how's the food?

Holy guacamole,

that's good.

From up here

in Barrow, Alaska,

I'm Adam Carlson,

Channel 2 News.

Mexican food

in the Arctic, huh?

Well, now

I've heard everything. Thanks, Adam.

Adam Carlson continues

his "Adam Around Alaska" reports from Barrow

through the end

of this week.

That's gonna do it for us

down here in Anchorage

on this Tuesday,

October 11th, 1988.

I'm Don Davis.

Good evening.

Speech!

Speech! Speech!

No, no.

Speech! Speech! Speech!

All right.

Let me think.

I think it was Mark Twain

who said that the coldest

winter he ever spent

was a summer

in San Francisco.

Let me tell you this is the

coldest summer I've spent anywhere.

But with the warmest people,

and I really mean that.

Thank you all

for your hospitality.

Appreciate it.

When are you leaving?

Thursday.

Wait, you said that you

were gonna do a story

on my cousin and

his snowmobile tricks.

You promised.

I promised?

I think I said, if I had

time. I'm really sorry.

Come on.

I don't think

I'm gonna have time.

- Please, it won't take long.

- I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Is he even good?

He'll blow your mind.

Keep it up!

Cool! Very cool!

Get this one.

This one, this one.

Awesome, Arnold!

This is pretty amazing, huh?

You're being serious?

- Yeah.

- This is it?

He's only warming up

for the Donuts!

Arnold,

do the Donuts!

Do something, Arnold.

What the hell?

Anchorage, Alaska

Boys.

There's the S.O.B.

Now, now.

Come on, Rob.

We don't know who's going

to get the drilling rights

until we hear the bids.

I think that's the way it works, right?

I'm surprised

to see you here.

I thought you would be down on

the ranch roping some R and R.

Well, I figure, what's

the fun in buying a new car

if you can't be there

to take delivery?

Good morning.

If everyone

will please take a seat,

we will go ahead

and get started.

As you all know, the bids for the

oil drilling rights to Bristol Bay

have all been submitted to the

US Department of the Interior

and have been kept secret.

Until now.

The highest bid is,

and the contract

for Bristol Bay goes to

J.W. McGraw and

Alaska Northern Oil.

Yes!

Yes, good work, you guys.

What about

the Greenpeace bid?

The law says that you

have to read all the bids.

What about

the Greenpeace bid?

Ma'am, please.

We bid the value of all the

wildlife you're putting at risk.

Please have a seat.

Three-quarters

of the world's salmon

is being endangered

up there, Mr. McGraw.

Yeah. Get her the hell out of here.

Three species of whales

pass through there every year.

There's nothing that whales

like more than a big oil spill.

It's their favorite.

Wait, I'm not done.

I'm not finished.

Yes, you are.

The law says that

you have to read all...

Are you... Really?

Okay, fine.

I'll read the bids myself.

Steller sea lions!

Hello, guys.

Hey.

- Malik, Pat.

- Hi.

You got to see this.

And here comes number two.

Female.

First one was a male,

young but grown.

Oh! It's a baby,

maybe eight months old.

Can they get free?

No. This solid ice goes

for five miles from the...

This is solid ice, Adam.

It goes for five miles

from here to the waterways

that lead to the open ocean.

These gray heads are too

soft to go through thick ice,

but they know they have to keep

the hole open so they don't drown.

What do you think?

A couple of days?

Two, maybe three days,

then this freezes over and...

Cuts and bruises are now visible

each time the whales surface.

But for these three,

there is no choice.

Cuts and bruises are now visible

each time the whales surface.

But for...

Don Davis.

Hey, Don. Adam Carlson.

Adam, how are things

up there in the icebox?

Going pretty well. Just preparing

for my move to Chickaloon.

Yeah. That's good, because it

seems like your material up there

is running pretty thin.

Well, you know what? I think Barrow

might have one more story left in her.

Oh, really?

What do you got?

Ten more great uses

for seal blubber?

No, whales, actually.

I got three California grays

trapped in the ice.

I got a great report

and a ton of footage.

Whales, huh?

Everybody loves whales.

Yeah, I guess.

Well, shoot it on

down to me on the satellite.

I'll take a look at it.

Fantastic! All right,

I'm sending it up right now.

- You're gonna love it. I promise.

- All right.

- Take it easy.

- Okay.

The Reagan administration

just keeps selling off

our natural resources

to their buddies in the oil

company, like Mr. McGraw.

Get off me!

After Miss Kramer

was ejected from the hall,

the oil lease auction

proceeded without incident.

And now from one environmental

story to another.

A family

of three gray whales

have found themselves trapped in

the icy waters off Point Barrow.

Adam Carlson reports.

I'm standing out

on this frozen landscape

where we've recently discovered a

tragedy unfolding here in Barrow.

It's either continue fighting to

keep the hole open, or drown.

Both experts here give the

whales a slim chance of survival.

I'm Adam Carlson, reporting

from Barrow, Alaska.

Come on.

Okay, even I know that was way

better than Arnold's wheelies.

- Right?

- Yeah.

And, see, something like this

would be very good for my reel.

Adam, phone.

Bet you that's a groupie.

All right, let's not get carried

away. Do you think it could be?

Yeah.

This is Adam Carlson.

You have whales in trouble up

there and you didn't call me?

I didn't call you because

there's nothing you can do.

Well, there's always

something you can do.

You didn't call me

because I'm me.

Yes, that's also true.

Because when we broke up,

you said not to call you

or speak to you ever again.

But this is different.

There are whales in trouble.

Rachel, if I called you every time a

dung beetle or a fungus was in trouble,

we'd never

get off the phone.

Adam.

Okay, how long

can they last?

I don't know.

Pat says a couple of days.

The ice is getting thicker.

That's not

your only problem, though.

The Inupiats

want to harvest them.

But they don't eat grays,

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