Elephant Rocks

The elephant is a beast that has captured the human imagination since time immemorial. Massive and powerful, they have terrified many, but often the elephant is seen in a sympathetic light. While Plutarch, in his Life of Pompey, notes that five hundred lions were killed in the arena that Pompey had opened, this mass slaughter paled in comparison to the main event of the day. "Above all, an elephant fight, a most terrifying spectacle" (Life of Pompey, LII.4). Now, can someone explain to me why American Idol does so well when they were having ELEPHANT FIGHTS in the 1st century BC?


Perhaps the answer is simple. The elephant fight was not a popular event. Impressive, yes, but popular, no. While lions are ferocious, and the people enjoyed seeing them exterminated like overgrown rats, the elephants were different. Somehow, they were noble, and had an ineffable link with mankind that the people could feel. Cicero attended the circus that day, and described the elephant fight in the following manner: "The last day was that of the elephants, and on that day the mob and crowd were greatly impressed, but manifested no pleasure. Indeed the result was a certain compassion and a kind of feeling that that huge beast has a fellowship with the human race" (ad Familiares, VII.1).


In truth, in spite of the strength and occasional bad temper of the elephant, he is most likely to be described as a friend. In 1906, at the annual banquet of the Society of the Friends of the Elephant, Paul Hippeau performed his song, "Friends of the Elephant." In it, he notes that, "The elephant is a friend to man/More than the dog, it's constant/And now indeed our turn has come/To be the Friend of the elephant."

Given mankind's obsession with the elephant, it is little surprise that a huge collection of granite boulders, some towering more than twenty feet into the air, should bring to mind the image of this colossal beast. These rocks, the residue of a past glaciation and subsequent erosion, have been worn by rain and wind into the characteristically curved shape of an elephant's back. Somehow, even the pinkish tan color of the granite seems to evoke the elephant, and it is easy to imagine what this area might have looked like when the mighty mastodons still sounded their trumpeting cry.

Of course, with anything large, there is a deep human yearning to climb. These boulders make some of the best climbing in a mostly flat state, and the chalk residue from past climbers showed where recent attempts had been made to scale their sheer flanks.

Inevitably, what goes up must come down, and there are two ways one can go about it while bouldering. Either you climb down, or you fall. Based on the picture below, you can probably guess which way I chose.

Either way, it is a lot of fun! And, with repeated effort, the final view is well worth the climb!

Of course, the best part is going with good friends! Russ and Brianna, with both little girls in tow, along with our neighbors, Nate and Leah and their son Jude, all came along. Jude got into the rock climbing too!

Crossing the Mississippi

On a bleak day in the city, I found it was time to escape once again, and searching through my trusty guide book I discovered another trip within fifteen minutes of the city. This time, I meant to cross the Mississippi on foot, using the decomissioned Chain of Rocks Bridge from the old Route 66. This bridge was retired from automotive traffic in the 60s, but has been maintained as a beautiful pedestrian hike spanning across the river for almost an entire mile in length. The bridge itself was built in 1929, and is one of the longest truss bridges in the world.




Here the river is wide but swift, and the wind howled bitterly from the north as well. Midway across the massive span, I crossed the line between Missouri and Illinois, and stared down at the muddy water below. I was right in time to see a duck decoy bob down the river! While it seems amazing that there was no boat traffic whatsoever here, the truth is that there is a canal, the Chain of Rocks Canal, which has been cut back a mile or so in the river. As a consequence, all shipping uses the canal, and so this stretch remains pristine and free from traffic.





Almost exactly on the state line was this beautiful little structure, which turns out to be an intake for the water treatment plant in the area. This was built in 1894, along with a second little structure that was also beautifully intriguing. Apparantly back in the day, even water treatment plants could look nice!

I will have to see about coming back on a sunny day, and capturing the river when it's looking its best.

Lone Elk

Just ten minutes southwest of the bustle of the suburb of Manchester, Missouri, lies Lone Elk Park. Located in a sequestered valley that lies tucked away just out of hearing from the interstate in the next valley over, this beautiful park is a true hidden jewel. This valley had once been a testing ground for the US Army during the forties and fifties. At some point, it was deemed wisest to eradicate the herd of elk that lived in the woods, but one wily old bull managed to evade detection. He hid out in the woods, a fugitive in his own valley, before finally being discovered ten years later, at which time he was granted a full pardon!

Arriving by Midget on a glorious sunny morning, the valley opened up beneath me as I passed through the front gate. On all sides rose forested hillsides, with small streamlets trickling down into a gorgeous lake in the very heart of the park. Proving that there is no longer any danger of there being only a lone elk, I found a large herd of almost thirty big elk lying in the shade near the southern shore. These animals are so much bigger than you imagine when you are right next to them!

After parking the car next to the herd of elk, I found the trailhead for White Bison Trail, a three mile loop that circled the lake and meandered back into the forested hillsides. It was a perfect day for a hike, and my early start meant that there were only a few other people in the entire park. Along the route, I found a black locust tree, which has two inch thorns in a protective layer around the tree trunk. I also was happy to see several pileated woodpeckers, a couple of white tail deer, and two bull elk that were enjoying some solitude away from the main herd. While examining a stream more closely, I was even able to find some salamander eggs, although unfortunately I didn't find any adults.

To finish off my expedition, I then drove on to the last part of the park, the Bison area. This portion of the park is entirely fenced off, and you are not allowed to leave your vehicle for safety. As I drove through the gate to this section of the park, the warning signs about bison damaging cars were a good reminder of just how strong these animals are. I found the herd quickly, which was resting beside a stream. The big bull of the herd was sitting contentedly, staring into the distance as if contemplating something profound. It was amazing to have to look up at these animals because of how huge they are and how small my car is!

Sadly, I didn't have my camera, but I will have to return and take pictures at some point. Adjacent to this park is World Bird Sanctuary, which is supposed to have bald eagles, eurasian eagle owls, and even some sort of parrot, that I will have to check out in the near future!

Dr. Faustus, I Presume?

To kick off my new blog, I am writing up a quick review for one of my latest readings, "Dr. Faustus," by Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe himself was a very interesting fellow, who had a prolific writing career before being murdered at the age of 29, when he was stabbed in an altercation that remains shrouded in mystery to this day. Rumours swirl about drunken arguments, subversive writings, and even espionage for the crown. Whatever the secrets of his life and death, Marlowe is widely regarded as perhaps second only to Shakespeare as the guiding light of English playwriting tradition.

Dr. Faustus itself is a play based on the traditional German tale of a brilliant scholar who delved too deeply into the dark arts of necromancy, and in exchange for unlimited power struck a bargain with the devil. What does Dr. Faustus use his powers for? Well, we get a few snapshots of his next twenty-four years, which range from impressing Dukes with his wisdom and power to boxing the Pope's ears whilst invisible. In truth, it is spent frivolously, as is fitting for a man who would undergo such a bargain.

Of course, what Faustus gains from the devil isn't really the point of the story, and much of the emphasis is placed on the fall of Faustus at the beginning and the final struggles within Faustus when his contract is set to expire. Indicative of Faustus' mindset after the twenty four years have passed is the line, "...the serpent that tempted Eve may be sav'd, but not Faustus," in which Faustus himself claims to be so degenerate as to be unredeemable.

Theologically, I felt that this play showed some interesting points that are very helpful. The entire idea that Faustus is unsavable is only the idea of Faustus himself, as Marlowe shows nicely. There is a struggle at the end in which a godly old man strives to argue with Faustus about the power of salvation that can overcome even the basest, most blasphemous acts, but it is the doctor's own conscience and mind that cannot allow him to accept these truths. It is a tragedy that highlights our inability to understand the true magnanimity of God.

Having read this, I am now very anxious to read Goethe's variation, "Faust", to see how the centuries between the two writings helped shape this myth. I will take my cue from Marlowe now, and end in a similar vein: Terminat hora diem, terminat author opus (The hour ends the day, the author ends his work).