Runaway reptile hitchhiked home | New

By Helen S. Umberger Last updated Jul 25, 2022

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NENANA — Adam White was driving north on the Parks Highway toward his home in Nenana on Tuesday when he saw a large stick on the road.

“There was oncoming traffic, so I lined up to straddle it,” he said. “Just before I go over it, it moves and crosses the freeway.”

His passenger didn’t believe him and scoffed when White said, “It was a lizard.”

So White turned around, and sure enough, there he was on the side of the highway, nestled among the fireweed and other bushes. He was a bearded dragon and he had apparently been sunbathing on the sidewalk.

Bearded dragons are popular pet reptiles. They tend to be sweet, curious, and active during the day. They are equipped with armor of spiny reptilian scales, including a “beard” of spikes under the chin that puff out, depending on the mood, according to National Geographic.

“I grabbed a stick, put it over his head, then picked him up like a snake,” White said. “He was calm and docile.

It didn’t take long to find out where the bearded dragon came from; White posted about the encounter on the local Facebook page. His message read: “Has anyone lost a lizard?” and included a photo of the bearded dragon.

It was then that he discovered that the reptile was a fugitive named “Insane”.

“Rightly so,” posted the community member who replied.

Insane was hanging out at the Community Fish Camp on the nearby river. He apparently ran away last week.

White doesn’t know much about lizards, but he said this one looked pretty healthy. Shortly after, he was on his way to return the reptile to its owner and he marveled at the distance traveled.

“It’s quite a distance from the river all the way down 10th Street,” he said. He found it closer to 9th Street and Parks Highway.

“Never would I have guessed in a million years that I was almost going to hit a bearded dragon,” he said.

Two big guys on two little trikes was a winning team for the Nenana Fourth of July Tricycle Race. Forest Shreeve and Silas Hessler proved unbeatable in the traditional contest.

Here’s how it works. There are teams of two people. The first rider furiously pedals the child-sized trike one block down the street. Then they switch riders and the second team member pedals just as furiously towards the finish line.

Hessler was in third place for the first half block but quickly caught up and joined his partner first. Shreeve rode all the way back to the finish line in first place.

Shreeve is the director of emergency services for the borough of Denali. Hessler is an Alaska State Trooper.

The competitors formed three teams, because there are only three trikes. The tricycles were recently refurbished, thanks to Charley Hnilicka. He had to use the fourth trike for parts to make three usable.

City Librarian Mary Harden donated the durable tricycles about 30 years ago, and they have been well used.

Camp Habitat is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

An open house is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 23 at the Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Sanctuary. A special ceremony will take place at noon.

Organizers collect favorite memories and want to spend the day sharing stories, playing games, hiking around the shelter, sharing food and singing.

This is a family affair celebrating a long-running popular local program.

Share your memory or favorite photo before July 20 with Susan Grace at this address: Camp Habitat, PO Box 81065, Fairbanks, AK 99708. Or you can email [email protected]

Donations of $30 to celebrate 30 years of Camp Habitat are greatly appreciated.

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