Left St. Louis today. Pretty simple. Got caught in traffic on the way out of town. The Cardinals were playing or something, so, red masses flocked the highways, exits and city streets. Big baseball town.

I shot across the river into scenic East St. Louis, passed up all sightseeing opportunities and made my way to the Cahokian Mounds.

Only reason I know about these mounds is due to the fact that Farrar wrote a song about them called, “Cahokian.” He speaks about the ancient mounds and how they sort of relate to our contemporary mounds of landfill trash. Something to think about. They built mounds of worship/we build mounds of disgust. Hmmm.

From factorybelt.net,

“Cahokian (from Jay Farrar’s Terroir Blues) Cahokia was a large settlement of the Mississippians, a Native American culture that thrived in the Midwest and Southeast United States from about 900 AD until the mid 16th century. Cahokia was near the current site of Collinsville, IL, which is about 8 miles from St. Louis. The Cahokians were best known for building large ceremonial mounds, which dominate the area around Cahokia, and used to dominate the landscape in St. Louis (hence its nickname, “The Mound City”). Most of the St. Louis area mounds were leveled in the 19th century, and the destruction of the mounds continues. There is currently a state park on the site of Cahokia.”

Took a little walk up a big mound, gazed around some, then snapped one and only one picture of a nice-lookin’ little mound set back some:

386. “My favorite Cahokian mound.”

Back in that interstate, and almost got right with God for a second, but just put the pedal to the medal and split…

387. “If you build it, they will come.”

Got a little threatened by some local sign outfit, and just sort kept going…

388. “Don’t even go there.”

Got up to Indy and called it a night.

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“A Scary Encounter With A Grizzly Bear.”

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They sell these at Target now! At Target!

I want one. Bad. Damn.

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Oh, and hey, it’s October. How great is that?