Another Solo Adventure and America’s First Metropolitan
Today, I left on an indefinitely long road trip. As my last year of university is online I decided to take advantage and travel across the states. Previously, I’ve traveled solo to Europe when I was 18, Asia and Oceania when I was 21. A couple of things are different about this time. Not only is there an ongoing pandemic, but this trip is a solo “road trip”.
I’ve always thought it was interesting how America’s history and culture have dictated its dependence on the automobile or air travel, rather than the high-speed train systems seen in other parts of the world. One thing that’s hard to deny is the main advantage of traveling via automobile and that’s flexibility.
I packed my bags last night and left this morning, taking off for a short 3 hour drive to St. Louis. Driving alone can be quite a burden. I want to take breaks yet I want to reach a destination, this delicate balance can be the difference between life and death on the road. It’s important to take it slow and make your pace as leisurely as possible, something that’s an advantage of solo traveling.
St. Louis is a lovely city with an interesting history. I’m biased because much of my family is from the area, in fact, I’m making a pit stop at my grandparents. Shout out my grandma, Mimi. She’s an amazing woman and especially chef, tonight she cooked some delicious French food.
Before reaching my grandparents I stopped at an important site in St. Louis history. Not the Arch or some other famous piece of St. Louis architecture. Instead, this was the Cahokia Mounds, a historic site located near East St. Louis.
The Cahokian Mounds are the largest and most historical pre-Colombian site north of Mexico, with estimated beginnings from 1,100 to 1,200 A.D. Cahokia was once a bustling city, with an estimated population of +25,000 people. Today, what’s left are various mounds and pits. The largest left is known as Monks Mound, roughly the same sized base as the Great Pyramid Pid of Giza.
Much of the city’s history and culture are unknown due to their lack of written records, leaving us to speculate from archaeological findings. Unfortunately, Cahokia eventually collapsed, it’s unclear what led to this but some of the speculations are climate change or society/cultural change.
I found this stop fascinating for many reasons. One, Cahokia was likely America’s first major city/metropolitan. Two, my unfamiliarity with this incredible history.
Podcasts listened to during my drive today, all available on major podcast apps:
- Matt Ball – The Future of Media: Movies, the Metaverse, and More - [Invest Like the Best, EP.185] - http://investorfieldguide.com/matt-ball-the-future-of-media-movies-the-metaverse-and-more-invest-like-the-best-ep-185/
- Policing the Open Road - [99% Invisible] - https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/policing-the-open-road/
- Shaka Senghor on Incarceration, Identity, and the Gift of Literacy (Ep. 80) - [Conversations with Tyler Cowen] - https://medium.com/conversations-with-tyler/tyler-cowen-shaka-senghor-criminal-justice-prison-reform-cabaa663c3bf
— Drew
Also, please pardon any grammatical mistakes in this post. It’s late and I’m struggling with my failing MacBook Butterfly keyboard.