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... using www.roadsideamerica.com to plan little stops-of-interest along
the way (I recommend it as an INCREDIBLE resource for ANY vacation
ANYWHERE within the U.S. and/or Canada -- it's fantastic).
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In Springerville, AZ (eastern border dead-center), I noted that there was
one of the "Madonnas of the Trail" - a series of 12 identical 10-ft statues
(18-ft with base) honoring the pioneer women of America.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_of_the_Trail.
It was one of the highlights of my trip (along with Flintstone Village near
the Grand Canyon
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/search/tip ). I sat
and looked at that statue for literally hours and tried my best to get even
a
glimpse of what their lives must have been like.
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It's a pioneer woman striding with an infant in one arm and a rifle in the
other, with a toddler clinging to her skirt. They were all postioned facing
westward, except the final one in California (which I had thought was
facing back east -- it faces south).
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The one in Maryland, it was finally noted when it was temporarily removed
for maintenance, is the only one facing east (a mistake that still exists).
I found this reference at the wikipedia page link above:
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A longstanding joke about Maryland's Madonna was that she was
placed facing east because no sensible American woman would
think it a good idea to turn her back on Washington, D.C..
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