The late Jane Goodall once called “Bicycling with Butterflies,” Sara Dykman’s book, “an extraordinary story” — both a lament for the destruction of nature and a celebration of the beauty that remains. That praise carries even more weight following Goodall’s death on Oct. 1, as Dykman carries the torch to continue connecting people with the natural world.

This month, Dykman will visit several Colorado Mountain College campuses to discuss her book, the college’s 2025 Common Reader selection and winner of the 2021 National Outdoor Book Award, according to a CMC news release. Her narrative recounts a 10,201-mile bicycle journey following the monarch butterfly migration from Mexico to Canada and back — a first-of-its-kind adventure completed entirely by bike.

An outdoor educator, field researcher and conservation advocate, Dykman said in the release that her journey taught her not to wait for perfection before taking action. 

“The message is that we can’t wait until we’re the perfect person to become an advocate, or think that we’re not ready,” Dykman said in the release. “Metaphorically, take it a mile at a time. The beautiful part is what I learned and all that is possible.”

Her 10,000-mile ride didn’t depend on expensive equipment. She pedaled what she called her “beater bike,” a 1989 Specialized HardRock built from mismatched parts, with gear carried in repurposed plastic kitty litter containers.

The monarchs she followed offered lessons of their own. Their multi-generational migration, she said in the release, reflects the same sense of connection that links people and communities.

“Monarchs are all connected,” Dykman said in the release. “They teach us so much about community. No single monarch can make the migration alone.”

Since 2007, the Common Reader program has honored that same spirit and invited CMC students, faculty, staff and community members to take part in a shared reading experience. The selected book is integrated into coursework, distributed for free throughout the college and used to inspire an annual art and creative writing contest. The program culminates each year with author visits that are free and open to the public.

Dykman will speak at CMC Rifle from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24; at CMC Aspen from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27; and at CMC Spring Valley from 6 to 8 p.m. that same evening. Each event will feature a slide presentation, discussion, book signing and complimentary copies of “Bicycling with Butterflies.”