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.