This Cross is Easy to Follow!

On an AMAZING 2009, 1500 Mile Road Trip with my friend, Cindy Fetch, (during a Colorado/Oklahoma/Texas spring blizzard), we traveled home to Georgia via Groom, Texas. We wanted to see the huge cross that caught my fancy in an internet forward!

Our friend Laurye Campbell Ray had sent me an e-mail about the giant cross just before the opportunity arose for this trip. As Cindy and I were planning our route to avoid as much bad weather as possible, I jumped at the chance to see The Cross! (I recently received a different forward about The Cross in Groom, and that's what inspired me to revisit our trip there.)

The Cross is billed as "The Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere," and my first glimpse of the cross was exciting! I'm not sure exactly how far away we were when we got our first glimpse, but it was interesting how The Cross seemed to keep "changing sides!" At first, it would appear to be on one side of the highway, then it would appear to change sides....

The cross (click link) is ringed by plaques and statues depicting the Stations of the Cross. There are other inspirational displays on the grounds, including a large granite statue of the Ten Commandments and a Monument supporting the Sanctity of Life, in Memory of the Victims of Abortion. There are replicas of the Last Supper, Jesus hanging on a cross between two thieves, and an empty tomb. There is also a nice gift shop, with delightful volunteers. For LOTS more photos from our visit to The Cross in Groom, click here.

My Cross visit inspired me to go back again someday! It was very cold and VERY windy while we were there, and we arrived just before closing, so I didn't get to spend as long "exploring" as I would have liked. (We were also trying to make up for lost time on the road!)

I'm in the process of mapping out plans for a "Quirky/Unusual Christian Sites Tour." I'm thinking it would make a great multi-state bus tour! (Other potential stops, besides The Cross: the Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs, Arkansas and the Miraculous Stairway, at Loretto Chapel, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.) Anyone interested? Any ideas for me?

Stay tuned for "1500 Mile Road Trip--

Part Two!"