For nine years, a
trip to visit the monarch butterfly colonies in the mountains just two hours
southwest from Mexico City has been on my bucket list. Each winter, millions of
monarch butterflies make the journey from Canada and the US to Mexico for
their annual migration. Their final resting
spot is among the oyamel fir
trees, arriving in late October and departing in March. It is one of the most
spectacular sights to behold as massive swaths of brilliant orange flicker
across the blue winter sky, turning the forest into a veritable fairyland. On
cold days, the butterflies stay fixed in the trees, weighting down the limbs
and blending into the forest like brown leaves. There are four reserves on different mountain
peaks, I chose Cerro Pelon, considered the best by Lonely Planet. It has the
least amount of tourists and the forest is in great shape as they have been
better able to prevent illegal logging. Base camp was at JM Butterfly B&B,
a B&B started by Ellen and Joel in the poverty ridden village of Macheros.
Ellen, an extensive traveler with a PhD from South Carolina, arrived eight
years ago to see the butterflies. There she met Joel; a local from a family of
ten, and a love story ensued. With their joint efforts, they have brought
tourism to this village resulting in jobs and started a foundation toward
saving the butterflies.
Cerro
Pelon, at 7,800’, sits in a temperate forest with similar temperatures year-long
with typical highs of mid-70’s and lows of mid-40. Winter is dry season, their
last rainfall in October, five months ago. Yet, due to underwater reservoirs,
the mountains are green and flowers bloom year-round. This butterfly colony
rests at 10,000’ which means a steep climb of 2,200’ in three miles distance.
Most tourists, me included, choose horses to make the journey. I was happy to
have my personal guide lead my horse on the steep, rocky, dusty, narrow trail
as my horse slipped, tripped and slid many times. I let out a few groans,
causing my guide to look around and check on me. Needless to say, I was quite
happy when the 1 ½ hour trip up and the 1 hour trip down on the horse ended.
The
butterfly colony was surreal as we were surrounded by monarchs. It was a warm,
sunny day so the majority were flying, mating and eating as they strengthen
themselves for the long journey back to the U.S. and Canada in March. Yet, the
trees in the shade still had huge colonies hugging the limbs. Mating takes 7 –
8 hours. These colonies were discovered in 1975 when two citizen scientists
arrived and hiked all the nearby mountains until they discovered the monarchs.
Mystery was solved of where all the monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains go to
spend their winter. This winter has been the most populous in 12 – 20 years,
partly due to the end of the droughts in Texas. The monarch feeds on milkweed
which is becoming scarce as our society consumes more resources. In recent
years, a small part of the colony have splintered and only made it as far as
Florida. After viewing this migration, my thoughts have turned toward future
migrations, perhaps the hummingbird migration in western Kentucky or, the
wildebeest migration in Tanzania.
Four other destinations were on our two week tour.
1.
Morelia,
a logical stop-over for the seven hour bus trip to San Miguel.
2.
The
high desert town of San Miguel de Allende (6,200’), a popular retirement/second
home location for Americans.
3.
Oaxaca
City (5,100’), high desert and foodie destination.
4.
Highly
populated Mexico City (7,400’) for extensive museums, history and culture.
Vibrant Morelia (pop
607k) is a well-preserved Unesco World Heritage city regarded as one of Mexico’s
three coolest under-the-radar cities yet to be discovered by foreign tourists.
Some consider it a Oaxaca City waiting to happen. A was day spent exploring the
city by foot with my fondest memory of the Dulce (sweets) Mercado.
San Miguel (73k)
popular destination for Americans has more “Americanized” prices with
multi-million dollar homes. It is a warm, dry, dusty climate during the winter
dry season. The colonial city center has an abundance of stunning churches,
restaurants and bars. Multiple Mariachi bands strolled the main plaza in the evenings
with a going rate of $20 per song. Bici Burro bike shop did a nice day trip to
some mountain bike trails north of town followed by a soak at one of the local
hot springs.
Staying
in the centro, historic section of Mexico City on a weekend had throngs of
tourists pouring in reminding me of TV scenes of NYC on New Year’s Eve. The city rivals London as far as the most
museums of any city in the world, many for free. Mexico City, founded by the
Aztecs in the 13th century, still has a representation. The main
Zocalo (plaza) has the attraction of Aztec dancers with booming drums,
snakeskin loincloths, feathered headdresses and shell ankle bracelets dancing
and chanting. “Healing” is also occurring for willing tourists as they wave
fragrant smoking plants up their shirts.
As
large and congested as Mexico City (pop 8.85m), I love the fact they close 20
miles of city streets every Sunday 8 am – 2 pm. Plus, bike can be checked out
for free at the Cathedral or, rented at multiple kiosks. My 52 pound gorilla
bike allowed me to explore the city traffic-free. Mexico City. Relatively flat,
the 1,000’ of climbing in 20 miles was mainly attributable to overpasses.
A one hour Interjet
flight lands us in Oaxaca City (pop 260k). A foodie city, I have much greater
appreciation for Mexican food. Our Tex-Mex food in the U.S. has no similarity
to the real thing. Mole sauces are varied by region and could number a 100+
grandmother recipes that could take days to prepare. There are seven well known
moles in Oaxaca. Another claim to fame is their mezcal which is a smoky version
of tequila. Mezcal is from the large agave plant found in their dry, arid
region. Their colonial architecture, colorful murals and gorgeous handicrafts
draw in the tourists. As cyclists, we enjoyed the 9 p.m. organized bike ride
through the city with a 3’ booming boom box at the lead while we rocked out to
Queen and other American classics while surrounded by a multi-lingual crowd of
cyclists on rental bikes. Our 24-speed hybrid bikes, with only one functioning
gear, did not disappoint us in the pleasant night air with only street lights
to illuminate our ride.
A highlight of the
trip was a two day mountain bike escape to the Sierra Norte Mountains, just two
hours from Oaxaca City but, another world. There are eight remote Zapotec indigenous
mountain villages that have formed a coop to host eco-tourism in their diverse
forests at 10,000’. As a co-op, each citizen must devote a large chuck of every
third year in service to their community. Then the entire community shares in
the net profits of the eco-tourism. Going from 5,100’ to 10,000’ in two hours,
we arrived via taxi at the village of Llano Grande, pop 100. With a history of
altitude sickness, I jumped on a mountain bike with the intention of a
strenuous ride to 12,000’. That did not happen although we did do 2,200’ of
climbing. With a fuzzy head, pounding heart, gasping breath and great lethargy,
my guide pushed my bike up all the hills for the last third of the ride. The
next day was far more successful with a downhill 16 mile descent to the village
of Amatlan and, a drop of 3,000’. Our guide, with no English, wore blue jeans
and work boots with the laces untied. Our hardtail bikes were technology I have
not ridden in 20+ years, sporting caliper brakes that often slid on the steep
descents of trails covered in lush pine straw. The single track portion was
enthralling with the varied forests of pine and elm with blue agave cactus
scattered. As we lowered our altitude we enjoyed the bromeliads and air ferns
growing on the trees while viewing the huge expanse of mountains. The mountains
get quite chilly at night and the fire built in our basic, rustic cabin was
very welcome.
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