We enjoyed our stay at Cahokia, located just across the river from St. Louis. Cahokia is the site of an ancient Mississippian Culture, Native American settlement which consisted of six square miles, with 120 mounds. It had a large population, not surpassed by any US city until the late 18th century. The site was occupied by the Cahokia Tribe when the first French Explorers came to visit in the 17th century. That was a lot of Indians! Presently, the city of Cahokia and East St. Louis are struggling with a sagging economy because much of the industry and tax base have departed.

Traveling US 50 (this section of US 50 is old the Cahokia Trail) from Cahokia to Madison, we traversed vast southern Illinois farmland, with the harvest underway. The weather was cool and clear with a definite feel of Fall in the air. Carlyle Lake, a Corps of Engineers flood control project on the Kaskaskia River, and the largest man-made lake in Illinois, was busy with Fall boating, sailing, and fishing activities.
Halfway Tavern is an old 1800 way stop, situated halfway between St. Louis and Vincennes, a frequent stop for circuit rider, Abraham Lincoln as he from “rode the circuit”  from courthouse-to-courthouse, trying cases.

We made camp at Red Hills State Park near the Wabash River, a park with lots of big trees, lake, and wildflowers. The Red Hills are the highest point between St. Louis and Cincinnati and were a prominent landmark in the Indian Treaty of 1795 which ceded the Vincennes Tract to the U.S. Government.
We made a fine steak dinner and walked around the park lake area. Leaving Illinois, we entered Indiana and stopped for lunch at Vincennes, then said goodbye to Glenn and Kim as they headed to Seymour and we turned SE toward Madison.
Vincennes has a rich history of Native Americans, Canadian, French, British, and American occupation.
We crossed the Hoosier National Forest, situated over dolomite, limestone, and gypsum that instigate the numerous caves and caverns of southern Indiana. My new word here is “Karst“.

At Madison, we took a site at the Madison city campground, with a splendid view of the Ohio river and the new Madison-Milton bridge. We have enjoyed our visit this week and are planning a Birthday Party for Amy on Saturday. On Friday, we will move up to the Jefferson County Fairground where we will have a weekend campout with the family and hold Amy’s birthday cookout-party. We plan to head to Oklahoma on Monday.

Monday, September 29, 2014
With hugs and goodbyes, we departed Madison and headed west to Tulsa. We seriously considered driving old US 60 but after further investigation, we decided it would be too slow for our purposes. We could not get a reliable DOT Route 60 road report from Kentucky-Illinois,-Missouri-Oklahoma, so we opted to travel I-64 and I-44 to Tulsa.
We followed the Ohio River through the Hoosier National Forest, enjoying the scenery in this huge wilderness area. We had a picnic Lunch at the 1852 Warrenton United Church of Christ, under some majestic shade trees and verdant grass, beside the old cemetery.
We crossed the old Wabash and Erie Canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico via the Ohio River.
We made camp at Cahokia, on the Illinois bank of the mighty Mississippi, immediately across the river from St. Louis.

On Tuesday, we crossed the Mississippi River and continued west on I-44.
Mt. Vernon, named after George Washington estate, is a busy destination with lots of tourist attractions.
Cuba is the “Route 66 Mural City” with 12 outdoor murals along the corridor.
Meramec Spring is located at St. James and the old Civil War era Meramec Iron Works were also situated here.
Passing through the Ozarks, we observed approximately 150 promotional billboards for Meramec Caverns. It has a long history but unlikely that Jesse James hid-out here in the 1870’s. Regardless, they advertise this and they have lots of Jesse James stuff. It’s a huge tourist attraction!
Rolla, the center of the Ozark Highlands, is the home of Missouri University of Science and Technology and the Alma Mater of a friend that I worked with in Seattle. It’s also a considerable viticulture area, with abundant Concord Grape vineyards.
Fort Leonard Wood is situated in the Missouri Ozarks and the training center for several of my former Army comrades.

We had a picnic lunch at the Salvation Army Camp Mahaska, in the Ozark Mountains, near Bourbon, Missouri. This is a youth camp with a beautiful campus and cascading, spring-fed pools. We had a pleasant lunch but were soon requested to leave the private property. I find this stimulating but Terry is embarrassed by my audacity. Some find it easier to apologize than ask permission.
We camped on Route 66 at Strafford where the “Trail of Tears” began into Green County. It was a warm, sunny day and we appreciated the AC. The temperature and humidity increased as we neared Tulsa but a cold front is promising more comfortable weather. We’ll spend the remainder of the week visiting Terry’s mom and family in Tulsa and head to Las Vegas on Monday.