To Port St. Lucie: Raising Monarchs

April 1, 2024

Last night in the comfortable bed at Lorraine and Joe's I had the best sleep since we left home. It's so quiet here. We're dawdling this morning since the trip to Port St. Lucie is a short one.

Sometime before noon Mike and I pedal forth. Barry will meet us in Port St. Lucie. We make it across the drawbridge over the Loxahatchee River just as the bells ring to signal that the bridge is going up. This bodes well for the day.

Once we cross over to Jupiter Island the roads get very quiet. With Mike in front to draft behind and a tailwind pushing us along we're cruising at 15-16 mph. I never ride this fast on my own. Drafting behind Barry on the recumbent definitely helps in a headwind but it's harder to stay on his wheel and keep a steady pace than when there's a taller bike in front.

Passing through a tangle of Banyan Trees

Hobe Sound Beach is our one spot for an ocean view fix today. I just need a little time to drink in the salty breeze, scan the horizon for kites and sails, and hear the squealing kids and the shrieking birds and the waves crashing. As a kid I was mesmerized by ocean waves as they kept on crashing, on and on, day and night.

From here we turn west and pass beside a long line of cars that has queued up at a drawbridge raised over the South Jupiter Narrows. Just as we reach the entrance, the drawbridge drops back into place, the gates go up and we sail on over. We're on a roll with the bridge timing today.

With 15 miles to go, we need sustenance. The tacos are awesome at this hole-in-the-wall taqueria in Port Salerno. Lunch is a deal at 10 bucks apiece.

Near the taqueria stands a tree like the one we saw near Key Largo. I thought it looked like Golden Trumpet.

Crossing the St. Lucie River towards the home of our hosts for the night

I finish the ride with an average of 14.4 mph, almost 4 mph faster than my average riding with panniers and more adverse winds. While that's not terribly speedy compared to what Mike or Barry do on their own, it's exhilerating for me.

We're staying with Pam Niehaus - Joe and Lorraine's daughter, and her husband Tom. They moved here from St. Louis a few years ago for retirement and baseball, and have a full house with their daughter Kristen, her husband Ken, their 7-year-old daughter Bailey and three dogs.

In the back yard where we pitch our tents I'm fascinated by the tall patch of milkweed swaying in the breeze. A Monarch butterfly flutters around the purple flowers as caterpillars feed on the leaves.

In Sara Dykman's book "Bicycling with Butterflies" I read about how the use of pesticides and herbicides has decimated the Monarch population. Individual efforts like this to restore their habitat are valuable to promote their survival. Back at home, our son Luke is germinating some Missouri native seeds for our own milkweek patch.

The big guy looks ready to pupate into a chrysalis

Monarch chrysalises hang here and there. Left alone, they are easy prey for the hungry lizards that skitter through the yard so Kristen is removing them to mature in a butterfly hotel. She carefully detaches each chrysalis with a bit of the silky thread it hangs from and reattaches it to a homemade frame with hot glue.

The frames go into zippered mesh cages where the chrysalises will mature into butterflies in 8 to 12 days. When the Monarchs emerge, they'll wait a few hours for the wings to dry and start flapping before releasing them.

Kristen lines a bowl with a clean cloth to collect the chrysalises

It's a treat to get a field lesson in how Kristen boosts the survival rate of these chrysalises.

Luke just sent me a picture of the peat pots he used to plant milkweed seeds that have been chilling in the fridge for a month. The pots protect the delicate roots when they are transplated. You can plant the pots right in the garden where they'll break down over time.

Our peat pods with milkweed seeds hanging out by a sunny window back home. Hopefully Luke will have seedlings in a few weeks.

While Pam and Tom cook up a hearty dinner of burgers, dogs, beans and salad, Bailey lures me out to play soccer one-on-one. There's a Cardinals- Padres game on tonight; good entertainment for the evening. Home stays are the best. Thanks to the Miehauses for hosting us!

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Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 316 miles (509 km)

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Rachael AndersonWhat a great place to stay!
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7 months ago

Janice BranhamTo Rachael AndersonIt was so interesting. It was getting to know Pam and Tom and their family.
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7 months ago