We just returned from a 10-day road trip over Thanksgiving. During our excursion, we kayaked in volcanic crater lakes, stayed in a tiny home, got brushed by two hurricanes, explored un-excavated Mayan pyramids, drank beer on the shore of Mexico's largest lake, and watched the migration of 500 million monarch butterflies. Here are a few highlights:
Watching the sunset (through the clouds from a nearby hurricane) on Lake Chapala.
Just another old church.
Wood house in the countryside of Michoacan.
Every winter hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate to a tiny, isolated chunk of highland forest. We were lucky enough to witness the arrival of the butterflies, who flew all the way from the Great Lakes and Canada.
Gelato vendor in Ajijic.
Fisherman gathers his net in Lake Chapala.
Our Subaru now has over 3000 Mexico miles under her belt and continues to run like a champ.
Paddling around a crater lake on Colima Volcano.
Erin relaxes with some old friends.
The butterfly migration, which ends at Reserva Mariposa Monarca, is among the biggest in the world. The butterflies spend the winter in clusters on the trees so thick that you can't see the branches.
Another photo of our gelato vendor friend in Ajijic.
The village of Macheros, an hour outside of Zitacuaro, is one of the most beautiful spots we've ever been to.
Lake Chapala is Mexico's largest freshwater lake and is home to 120 bird species.
The skies are filled with butterflies during the migration!
Near the summit of this mountain, in the thick overgrowth, we found the ruins of three small Mayan pyramids. Save for a handful of local villagers and maybe an intrepid tourist or two, it's safe to say that the pyramids haven't seen any visitors in modern times.