From Anchorage to Ushuaia by Bike

In the city of Morelia, we met Ulyses (the friend of the brother in law of a member of the warmshowers network in San Diego… yes, a friend of a friend of a friend!). He’s an experienced mountain biker – he doesn’t bother with roads or paths, he heads straight into the mountains! He gave us some good tips on the route to take to Mexico City, where we’re supposed to be by Saturday or Sunday. Following his advice, we stopped in Senguio to see the Monarch Butterflies.

We left on foot from Senguio, already 2300 meters up, and after a long 11 km climb and 800 m higher we discovered the mysterious monarchs at more than 3100 meters above sea level.

Monarch Butterflies spend the summers in Canada and migrate to Mexico, to the state of Michoacan, for the winter, where they stay from the beginning of November to the end of February. They come back to this exact location every year traveling thousands of kilometers to reproduce and then to die. The larva will turn into butterflies and then head back to Canada to start the new annual life cycle. There are millions of butterflies the gather here, and they cluster on branches and make them bend under the weight of all their wings. It was both breathtaking and totally calming: in the complete and utter silence we could hear the rustle of their wings and the creaking of the branches that were straining under the weight of these light and delicate creatures. They were everywhere, and we were in their space: they were in the air, covering the trees, and even the ground. We stayed an hour, awestruck, before heading back …

11 kilometers down towards the peaceful little town of Senguio.

Sara & Sébastien