Do you know that part in American President when the president confidently says, of a Dogwood, "It's a tree and a flower"? (American President is quoted by me almost as much as Fawlty Towers...) The Dogwood scene inspires me to quote that in any sort of word play. Today it was in a donut shop after the gal told us they had Long Johns in many flavors. 👀 Long John: An underwear AND a donut. Ha!
We found the best donut shop just a few minutes from downtown St Louis. Fun fact #1: It's on the old Route 66. Fun fact #2: It was called Donut Drive-In and was NOT a drive-in! 😆 They had the sprinkle donuts like the old ones QFC used to make before they went to Top Pot. Heaven!
Donuts in hand, we headed out to Illinois (again!) to Cahokia Mounds. Cahokia Mounds is a pre-Columbian Native American City that, in addition to being a National Historical Landmark, is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Even though the interpretive center was closed for a remodel, and the weather was not on our side, we really wanted to see it. How could we be so close to something so amazing and NOT see it?
I would like so desperately to tell you all about what we saw, but...even if the interpretive center had been open, I'm not sure what we would have learned. It was a city of approximately 20,000 people at its heyday (1120 CE), built across over 100 mounds. Like many ancient civilizations, they just disappeared. There's no evidence of war on the grounds, but they built huge fences and defense palisades. Or possibly they moved because of drought or disease. One of the neat things archeologists have found on the site is evidence of trading with peoples from Pennsylvania, Minnesota and the Gulf Coast. One of the not so neat things is evidence of human sacrifice. Sigh. They know so little about these people, that they don't even know who they are! The area had been abandoned for centuries before the Cahokian people (an American Indian people from this area) made it their home. I love that in a time when we know so much, and have so much information available at our fingertips, there are still mysteries out there to be solved, and stories to be told.
The story of today turned out to be weather. It was rainy and cold in the parking lot, but downright breezy at the top of Monk's Mound about 100ft up.
At a certain point you really can't get any wetter! This is why you bring extra Long Johns on your vacay. See what I did there? Ha!!
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