After decades of pursuing the pleasures of cycling, I’m convinced that riding with an intent, an objective of some sort, adds meaning and value. This conviction is clearly shared by Sara Dykman, a serious cyclist and inquiring environmental scientist as well. And it’s clearly in evidence in the story of her engrossing cycling adventure, which she shares in Bicycling with Butterflies.
Fascinated by the monarch butterfly and its annual journey from its winter habitat in Mexico, Ms. Dykman resolves to follow the monarch’s migration on her bicycle. She rides with the butterflies north, solo, across America, into Canada, a five-thousand mile, months-long ride, and then five thousand miles back to their sanctuary in Mexico. Her journey, begun in March, 2017, ended nine months later in November.
Ten thousand miles on a bicycle: wow. It’s so many miles, demanding so much training, planning, dreaming. A profound mental commitment until it becomes the season, the day, the moment to just do it. Ms. Dykman shares the serious cyclist’s secret in the early pages of her beautifully crafted narrative:
. . . a long trip is nothing more than a collection of miles. If I could bike one mile, then I could bike two. If I could bike two, then I could bike 10,000.
You don’t need to be a cyclist or a field biologist to enjoy reading Bicycling with Butterflies. All you need is the interest in learning about another human being, a humanist, and her hero-journey, for it is exactly that. Ms. Dykman’s quest to learn more about this very special butterfly is bound with her own very special search for self-knowledge and a desire to understand life, philosophically, interpersonally and ecologically. These intertwining perspectives enrich the narrative so much—and make her story so very special.
Bicycling with Butterflies is, in my opinion, simply the best book about adventure bicycling ever: gloves on the handlebars, feet on the pedals, bum on the saddle. I listened to the Audible book, which is elegantly, emotionally narrated by Xe Sands. Her first-person characterization is so well done I couldn’t differentiate Ms. Sands’ voiceover from the author. When I finished listening, I recommended it to some of my cycling friends. But the more I thought about it, I grew convinced there were way too many rich insights, evocative turns of phrase and memorable events which I wished to recall. That would be difficult to recapture from audio, so I bought a copy of the hardcover book and am setting into it with my yellow highlighter in hand.
The print book reveals new dimensions of Ms. Dykman’s story. That came as no surprise; from the audiobook I already knew her as an attention-to-detail person. The front matter dedication, “To the monarchs,” displays her own beautiful pen-and-ink drawing. There is a route map, an illustration of the monarch’s migration routes (yes, there are more than one), and an excellent index in the end matter. Each chapter opens with the number of days, dates and miles covered; she kept a journal and it shows.
I fully expect that by the end of my reading I’ll have hatched an idea for my own road trip, which I will, sans doute, write about in one form or another—although I have no expectations of accomplishing as many quests as has the extraordinary Sara Dykman.
Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration
4.5 | 458 ratings
Price: 17.03
Last update: 08-24-2024
About this item
Top reviews from the United States
Jack B. Rochester
Simply the best book about adventure bicycling ever
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2021
Jack B. Rochester
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2021
Fascinated by the monarch butterfly and its annual journey from its winter habitat in Mexico, Ms. Dykman resolves to follow the monarch’s migration on her bicycle. She rides with the butterflies north, solo, across America, into Canada, a five-thousand mile, months-long ride, and then five thousand miles back to their sanctuary in Mexico. Her journey, begun in March, 2017, ended nine months later in November.
Ten thousand miles on a bicycle: wow. It’s so many miles, demanding so much training, planning, dreaming. A profound mental commitment until it becomes the season, the day, the moment to just do it. Ms. Dykman shares the serious cyclist’s secret in the early pages of her beautifully crafted narrative:
. . . a long trip is nothing more than a collection of miles. If I could bike one mile, then I could bike two. If I could bike two, then I could bike 10,000.
You don’t need to be a cyclist or a field biologist to enjoy reading Bicycling with Butterflies. All you need is the interest in learning about another human being, a humanist, and her hero-journey, for it is exactly that. Ms. Dykman’s quest to learn more about this very special butterfly is bound with her own very special search for self-knowledge and a desire to understand life, philosophically, interpersonally and ecologically. These intertwining perspectives enrich the narrative so much—and make her story so very special.
Bicycling with Butterflies is, in my opinion, simply the best book about adventure bicycling ever: gloves on the handlebars, feet on the pedals, bum on the saddle. I listened to the Audible book, which is elegantly, emotionally narrated by Xe Sands. Her first-person characterization is so well done I couldn’t differentiate Ms. Sands’ voiceover from the author. When I finished listening, I recommended it to some of my cycling friends. But the more I thought about it, I grew convinced there were way too many rich insights, evocative turns of phrase and memorable events which I wished to recall. That would be difficult to recapture from audio, so I bought a copy of the hardcover book and am setting into it with my yellow highlighter in hand.
The print book reveals new dimensions of Ms. Dykman’s story. That came as no surprise; from the audiobook I already knew her as an attention-to-detail person. The front matter dedication, “To the monarchs,” displays her own beautiful pen-and-ink drawing. There is a route map, an illustration of the monarch’s migration routes (yes, there are more than one), and an excellent index in the end matter. Each chapter opens with the number of days, dates and miles covered; she kept a journal and it shows.
I fully expect that by the end of my reading I’ll have hatched an idea for my own road trip, which I will, sans doute, write about in one form or another—although I have no expectations of accomplishing as many quests as has the extraordinary Sara Dykman.
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Tracy S.
Excellent book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2024Karina
following the Monarchs
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2021dsky227
Great overview of migrating monarchs with the interesting twist of bicycle travel
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2023
DW
Inspirational! Story telling at its best...
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2023
Lee O Huey
Book
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2024Rick
Living the Monarch Migration
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2021Cari Mueller
A True Adventure Story…with Butterflies!
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2021
Cari Mueller
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2021
Whether you are a cyclist, nature enthusiast or adventure traveler this book will capture both your interest and imagination page by page as author Sara Dykman recounts her 10,000-plus mile bike ride through North America, traveling the yearly migration route of monarch butterflies.
Her scene-by-scene descriptions, sensitivity to the world around her and her sharp sense of adventure will make you feel as if you are riding beside her mile by mile through Mexico, the US and Canada. Her passion for nature and conservation are evident as she educates her readers and fascinates them with tales of her unconventional adventures, serendipitous meetings and of course, monarch sightings.
This book gave me a deeper appreciation not only for monarchs and those who protect them but also for the capability of a human to cycle solo through three countries! A great read!
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