August 31, 2010

This morning I accomplished some necessary tasks (mailing at post office, laundry) before breaking camp, which I accomplished at 9:00.  Even Lewis and Clark had to send riders back with letters every so often.  Whether they ever did laundry is another question!  I would wager "not exactly."

I started at the Lincoln Tomb, which is very stately and grand.  There are many bronze sculptures inside the tomb itself.  I tried to take a picture of each, but because of poor light, most were very blurry.

The above photo shows the monument from a distance.  Notice the door in the lower righthand corner.  That's where you actually walk into the tomb.

This bronze bust is in front of the monument.  I wish my interior shots had come out.  They were nice pieces.

But off to the Benjamin Edwards House ... my last stop in Springfield!  The Edwards House is important because of its age ... oldest house still standing on original foundation in the city ... and because it has a connection to Lincoln, though slight.  Lincoln did go to this house on social occasions, and Benjamin was the older brother of Ninian, Lincoln's brother-in-law.  And in this very house is the couch that Lincoln and Mary courted on.  It was in Ninian's house, but ended up here.

In 1913 the Springfield Art League took possession of the house so while I was waiting for the tour, I was directed to an exhibit on paper art.  Everything you see in the following photos is made from paper.  I have no photos of the inside of the house itself.

Title: The Wedding Party

Title: Leaves of Grass

After leaving Springfield with the sound of trains  punctuating the "soundscape" (and always making me think of Lincoln's interest in the advancement of rail development) I headed toward Cahokia Mound Historic Site, arriving around 1:30.  I was there just in time to catch a tour, which was fun ... but very, very , very hot.  There was a good breeze which was the saving grace, but even so, I was dripping!  My pictures will show a bit of the site.

Look to the right and left of the center tree to see two mounds in the background; the left mound is a platform mound, the right one is a round mound.

I am taking this photo from the top of Monk's Mound.  It was quite a hike up, but had a spectacular view.

The end of my day's journey got me to my motel with my GPS like a smooth breeze ... what a wonder it is!  Lewis and Clark would have loved it: coordinates tonight are N 38 39.226'  W 90 3.537'.  Skies are clear!