May 23, 2010 - Stairs to the Sun.

This is the staircase that has been created to allow people to climb the Monk's Mound at Cahokia Indian Mounds just outside of St. Louis. It was a pretty cool place to visit and I'd wanted to see it for a long time. Missing an exit and ending up in Illinois created just the perfect spontaneous opportunity to stop and see the mounds! Monk's Mound is the largest, rising 100 feet in the air, and used to be made up of four terraces. It was the mound on which the Emperor lived because he was supposed to be 'of the Sun' and so he lived closest to the Sun. Cahokia Mounds is known as the "City of the Sun". It's a World Heritage Site and people from all over the world were there today, but for whatever reason, those of us who live so close don't seem to ever get around to visiting. I was glad to visit today and hope to go back on a day when it's a little less muggy and hot.