In a field of Monarchs

There are moments in life where you happen upon something so unexpected you wonder if it can happen again or question if the likelihood of its duplication so slim the encounter can only be described as "lucky chance". I walked a trail in Laguna Beach religiously. The trail straddled rolling hills where hawks hovered and ravens swooned over the desert bush and sages. Idyllically beautiful, this place had a sacred, mystical quality and I tended to fall into romantic thoughts as roadrunners whizzed by me, overtaking my jog. But even so, I hadn't been prepared for what I would encounter on one particular day. As I walked down one of the hills my eyes saw a vision of a thousand Monarch butterflies strewn out over the brush. I had never seen so many at once. I realized I happened upon the one day they took to rest there on my favorite trail before they continued down their way to Mexico. I had no camera, just my own vision as I passed by cluster upon cluster of beating wings. I have never been so thrilled in my life.

I have no idea if the Laguna Beach trail is a regular stopping point for Monarch butterflies on their yearly migration to Mexico. I haven't seen it again. So this makes me feel lucky and blessed that I got to be a part of their journey, even if was just walking by. I wish I could share a frame of my experience. This link to this video will have to do: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/journey-butterflies.html