When the kids and I road tripped to Washington DC nearly two years ago, as we were crossing into Delaware on the Delaware Memorial Bridge, I spied a giant statue of Mary on the side of the road. I didn’t know anything about it at the time, and we snapped the best picture we could from where we were.

When we were on our way to Baltimore two weeks ago, and I was going through the Roadside America app, the statue of Mary popped up as one of their roadside attractions along our route.

And this is when it came full circle.

And quickly got added to our list.

One, because it was pretty cool to check out, given how super-sized it is.

And two, because I knew our littlest road tripper would love it.

Case in point. When I told her last week that I had signed her up for a week of Bible Camp this summer, her response was “Oh that’s awesome! You know how I’m all about God!!”

And so it is.

Whether you’re religious or not, this statue of Mary is a pretty awesome sight. All around the statue are plaques with the stations of the cross.

Tucked in by Mary’s feet were some rosary beads that visitors had left, and a few notes asking for prayers. Although Catholics traditionally don’t offer up prayers directly to Mary, she is often seen as a go-between to her son.

The statue is made by sculptor Charles Parks, a Delaware native, who had made several others, including one that is just two feet smaller and currently in Santa Clara, California. While it looks like it might be solid stainless steel from a distance, it’s actually constructed from strips of stainless steel that are shaped and welded together, giving it an unusual but awesome textured appearance. It cost $500,000 to build and Parks and his assistant worked on it in various stages as the money was raised.

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