The trip from Patzcuaro to the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve took us around the southern edge of Morelia, a very pretty city, then above Ciudad Hidalgo and finally south over winding, mountainous roads and through some of the most beautiful pine forests we’ve encountered! We passed by little homesteads with shacks made of whatever material was available; cautiously maneuvered around horses and cows grazing untethered by the side of the road; witnessed a weather-beaten old man tending his patch of garden carved out of the sloping terrain.
We made a quick stop at Tuxpan for fresh produce before moving on to San Felipe and then through Ocampo and on to the 12 mile cobblestone road to the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve. The two camper rigs were greeted at the parking lot by a horde of urchins, all talking at once in Spanish, trying to sell trinkets, walking sticks and their services as guardians of our rigs when we decided to take the long hike up to the pine trees some 1,000 feet above where the butterflies were stsacked on top of one another in their hibernation mode. The parking lot was full of weekend visitor vehicles and we were advised to wait until morning to make the trek up the steep, winding path to the butterflies.
As we sat and enjoyed afternoon refreshments, we were seranaded by a quartet of youngsters, maybe about 10 or 11 years old. Their sweet song earned them each a couple of pesos, some chocolate and some pencils. We exchanged lessons in Spanish and English – colors, numbers and some simple phrases - before they began sliding down a small grassy hill on cardboard. They seemed to be having the time of their lives, so the crazy old gringos asked if they could join in the fun. We provided some hilarious entertainment for the kids as we slid down the hill and almost over the edge. They stood guard and provided a blockade to keep us from harm. A zip-lock bag, used to collect the candy wrappers, became the object of study and fascination. The bag was emptied and given to one of the children, who examined the workings of the zipper mechanism.
We were up early the next morning to take our hike up the path to the butterflies before the crowds arrived. A refuge “vigilante” escorted us up the hillside. We joined him in gathering scraps left on the path by the previous day’s visitors. There is a strong commitment to protect this area from the impact of well-meaning visitors who might unintentionally interrupt the hibernation and thus the precarious life cycle of the Monarch butterfly. Sadly, we were too early this year to really see the Monarchs at the height of their mating activity prior to their migration North to Canada. For those of you who saw the recent National Geographic documentary on the public television channel, you know that the entire life cycle of the Monarch butterfly involves 4 generations, in the migration between Mexico and Canada and back.
We made a quick stop at Tuxpan for fresh produce before moving on to San Felipe and then through Ocampo and on to the 12 mile cobblestone road to the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve. The two camper rigs were greeted at the parking lot by a horde of urchins, all talking at once in Spanish, trying to sell trinkets, walking sticks and their services as guardians of our rigs when we decided to take the long hike up to the pine trees some 1,000 feet above where the butterflies were stsacked on top of one another in their hibernation mode. The parking lot was full of weekend visitor vehicles and we were advised to wait until morning to make the trek up the steep, winding path to the butterflies.
As we sat and enjoyed afternoon refreshments, we were seranaded by a quartet of youngsters, maybe about 10 or 11 years old. Their sweet song earned them each a couple of pesos, some chocolate and some pencils. We exchanged lessons in Spanish and English – colors, numbers and some simple phrases - before they began sliding down a small grassy hill on cardboard. They seemed to be having the time of their lives, so the crazy old gringos asked if they could join in the fun. We provided some hilarious entertainment for the kids as we slid down the hill and almost over the edge. They stood guard and provided a blockade to keep us from harm. A zip-lock bag, used to collect the candy wrappers, became the object of study and fascination. The bag was emptied and given to one of the children, who examined the workings of the zipper mechanism.
We were up early the next morning to take our hike up the path to the butterflies before the crowds arrived. A refuge “vigilante” escorted us up the hillside. We joined him in gathering scraps left on the path by the previous day’s visitors. There is a strong commitment to protect this area from the impact of well-meaning visitors who might unintentionally interrupt the hibernation and thus the precarious life cycle of the Monarch butterfly. Sadly, we were too early this year to really see the Monarchs at the height of their mating activity prior to their migration North to Canada. For those of you who saw the recent National Geographic documentary on the public television channel, you know that the entire life cycle of the Monarch butterfly involves 4 generations, in the migration between Mexico and Canada and back.
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