Cahokia

As you know from the two previous posts it was a fun couple of days. Today I spent time working on the posts and watching YouTube videos of other adventure (fools?) people that ride motorcycles across countries and some even across continents. I am thinking about future rides, destinations, life choices, and deciding my route home.

We (well more me because someone had to be responsible and take care of things) started our day grabbing a bite to eat and settled on barbecue. We went to Pappy's Smokehouse, Memphis style barbecue...in St. Louis. Again helmet laws (and gear choices) can be interesting.

When we arrived at Pappy's it was either an hour wait to eat inside or fifteen minutes for outdoor seating. We opted for the latter and waited for our turn. It was not too bad when the sun was behind the clouds but quite warm when it was out.

I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and we shared a slab of ribs. It was all delicious and would recommend if you find yourself in the area. They also had an outdoor wash station because the little disposable wipes did not work well.

I did not intend to do any sightseeing but yesterday a friend (through instant messaging again, thanks friend!) had asked me if I passed through East St. Louis (IL) and stopped to see Cahokia Mounds. So I asked if we could go today after lunch while I am out here. While we were leaving Pappy's some feathers were noticed near the hood/windshield area of the vehicle. So the hood was popped and there was a bird lodged in there...how? When did this happen? Has anyone else had this experience? WARNING dead bird.

We made it to Cahokia and while looking for parking there was a bird nest sighting. These nests appear to be person made.

We saw Monks Mound across the street and we decided it would be the mound to see before calling it a day. I will need to read up on its history because it is unusual, but I guess it was a different time. The walk up the stairs of Monks Mound was enough exercise for the trip. I felt the burn in my legs which is not surprising considering I have been sitting for most of the month.

We walked around the top of the mound and took some photos before leaving. Flat for miles, so flat. You can even see St. Louis and The Gateway Arch in the distance (see banner image). On the way back to the car we saw a couple families both with more children than I would be willing to manage. Not for me but I guess as long as they are happy that is all that matters, right? One family had a stroller and it would have been interesting to see if the intention was to bring it to the top. While leaving Cahokia I saw Hotel Furniture Outlet that claims to buy anything of value. How does one define value?

Riding as a passenger in a car provided me the opportunity to see some sights and capture it in digital format. It was convenient but I am ready to get back on the saddle. Remember: Start Seeing Motorcycles.

I do not know how many bridges I have seen since leaving Texas a couple weeks ago but it is a lot. More than I thought I would ever see. We do not have a lot of bodies of water in Southern California so not many bridges spanning water like other parts of the country. I have also seen a lot of buildings built with bricks. So many bricks.

Anyways until tomorrow, another long day so quite possibly another delayed post.