Finally, the day I had dreamed of for years had arrived, the opportunity to see the mysterious Monarch butterflies. These butterflies take a circuitous route every year, from Canada to Mexico: Michoacán, Mexico, to be exact.
Due to humans and our continuous destruction of nature, the population of butterflies has dropped DRAMATICALLY (80-95%) in the last few decades. This cannot be understated, as in the near future, these butterflies WILL no longer exist if there is no change.
The Reserva de Biosfera de la Mariposa Monarca (Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in English) has two areas open to the public: El Rosario and Sierra Chincua. There are tours from Morelia that visit the reserve. I used the company YEI Tours which is run by the esteemed Rodrigo Rosales. Rodrigo picked me up early in the morning from Morelia for the three hour drive. Interestingly, it takes about the same time to travel from Queretaro and Mexico City, but tours are primarily run from Morelia.
We arrived to the sanctuary. Only a few butterflies had arrived by this point.
I saw one by my feet on the ground.
And another.
The butterflies began to appear. I took close up pictures of individual ones.
And soon enough, we were blinded by butterflies. Pictures do not give justice to the visual spectacle. The utter feeling of peace just watching butterflies is indescribable. 
It was time to head back to Morelia now. Rodrigo suggested I try carnitas, a local dish, at Don Raul, which is locally renowned.
Carnitas Don Raul
I had never had carnitas before, so was unsure of what to expect. But suffice to say, they were simply succulent.
Carnitas
And of course, you can’t have Mexican food without hot sauce.
It was evening by now, so off to bed, and I felt bittersweet. On the one hand, I felt blessed to see the monarch butterflies. On the other, I was sad to know that in the near future, they would no longer exist due to the utter lack of political will anywhere to keep them alive. My children and grandchildren most likely will not be able to see what I saw on this day. That speaks to the situation of our society at large.: ignore current problems and kick the can down the road to the next generation. Unfortunately, with species, once they are gone, they cannot return.