Yesterday, The Boyfriend and I went to Cahokia Mounds across the river in Illinois. The day was warm for January, but still damp and chilly with an on and off drizzle. It wasn't the prettiest day to visit, but luckily the museum was inside. The museum was very interesting, and for a Sunday early afternoon there were plenty of helpful workers on staff.
As a history buff and someone who took a class on Native American History in college, I really didn't know much about Cahokia. I'd heard of it, knew bits and pieces, but I had no idea the scope of this place.
Now, the mounds sit in the midst of decaying buildings and large highways. A trailer park is on the edges of the park. It's sad really.
Still, the mounds are interesting to look at, knowing they were made thousands of years ago by people moving sacks of dirt from one place to another. It just goes to show you, technology isn't always needed to do something lasting--although Monk's Mound, where our hike took place, took three hundred years to "build."
The hike was a short one. Really barely long enough to be considered a hike. But, I am out of shape and had to climb up these stairs:
I'll save my longer new hikes for warmer days. From the top of Monk's Mound, you can see some of the other mounds still standing:
It was good to get out of the house and get some physical activity. It was also fun to go somewhere I've never been that's really so close to home.
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