by Louise Flenner

by Louise Flenner

In September, George and I decided to travel home from our RV vacation on the North Shore of Minnesota by taking the long way home down the western side of Iowa along Hwy. 71.  The destination I was looking for was the town of Audubon, Iowa.  I had noted this place on a map a few years ago and it stayed with me that it would be an interesting stopover.  Turns out it was very enjoyable.  Audubon, IA is all things John James Audubon.  The town plaza has a bronze statue of him painting in a natural environment with his dog at his feet.  The downtown walkway has over 200 bird mosaics inset in the brick sidewalks.  Each mosaic recreates one of his famous bird paintings.  There is a 21 foot tall lighted stain glass picture of him with a clock on the corner of Broadway St.  The public library, post office and meeting hall all have tributes to him.

 

The other highlight that can’t be missed when visiting Audubon is Albert the Bull, the world’s largest bull.  We spent the night in the Albert the Bull campground that sits in his shadow.  I’ve included a picture as it says a thousand words about his size.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editor’s note: Thanks to Louise for submitting this article! Have you been to an interesting bird- or nature-related destination lately? Please consider submitting a short summary and some photos to The Chat. With your submission, this can become an occasional series.