A slight diversion 15 miles off of Interstate 80 through Iowa stands Albert, the world's largest concrete bull, in Audubon. There he grazes proudly, next to a campground playground. The statue, built by the Audubon Junior Chamber of Commerce, is a replica of a Hereford bull, and was built as a tribute to the beef industry so important to Iowans. He was conceived in 1963 and is named after Albert Kruse, a banker instrumental in bringing attention to the area through an event called Operation T-Bone. This site is definitely worth the detour — it's not every day you get to see a 45-ton, 30 foot tall concrete bovine (anatomically correct, too, I might add). Places like this should be treasured: earnest folkartwork done by the common man (and woman) in tribute to something ordinary done on a vast scale to get you to "steer" off the highway and gawk. To skip this place would be unforgiva-bull.
