Jelly Belly

On Sunday March 15th,  Frank and I took Alex to a visit of the Jelly Belly® factory in Fairfield, CA. The ride is about 43 minutes north of Alex's home. It being a weekend, there would be no formal factory tours, but we were OK with that, allowing us to go at our own pace and stop at whatever struck our fancy.  Upon arrival we first noticed the brightly decorated Jelly Belly® company car.

Upon entering the building we gazed up at Jelly Belly® jelly bean replicas suspended from the high ceiling. We bought our entry tickets and followed the signs for a self-guided tour.

We all had to don official Jelly Belly® paper hats for health reasons since it is a food production plant. Along the well defined path of the tour were stations with videos to watch about the packing operations and jelly bean production itself. Some of the packing and sorting machines were extremely complicated and consequently repeatedly accurate. The huge rotating drums for mixing the jelly bean ingredients reminded me of the kind on cement mixers. The mixing drums were not as complex as the packing equipment. At this stage the cooking process relied more on the skill of the operators knowing precisely when to add sugar, or flavoring, or other appropriate ingredients. It was enlightening to learn of the care taken to create a gooey center and exactly how and when to add the outer hard coating and buff it to a special sheen. 

One lane of the tour had stations to sniff and discern the flavor of a jelly bean by its scent. I sampled a few of those and was impressed. But sniffing a few a few were enough. It was quite warm along that corridor and the smells were starting to nauseate me. I was very grateful we were not touring when the plant was in production. Other aspects of the tour were historical in the roles Jelly Bellys played in the various halls of government. Jelly Belly® jelly beans were a fixture in the White House and a common snack in many cabinet meetings. When debates got tense, a jar of Jelly Belly® jelly beans was passed along during a short break to lighten the mood. They got their start when Ronald Reagan, as California Governor, ate them to break a pipe smoking habit. 

There were many other anecdotal signs along the route. I found them interesting but they did not hold much allure for Alex. Bits of trivia by year touched such topics as the introduction of mint wafers during sugar rationing (1940), the first shipment across the sea to Europe (1982), being the first jelly bean in space (1983), and the introduction of Harry Potter inspired weird flavors (2000).

There were also many, many, many, murals and samples of artwork with Jelly Belly Beams as pixels in a mosaic from presidential, to animated cartoon characters or from famous Hollywood personalities (e.g., Marylin Monroe) to well-known paintings (e.g. Starry Night).

The end of the tour had murals paying tribute to those beans that did not make the exacting standards. These are sold with the delightful name "Belly Flops". After the tour we went for a bite to eat in the snack bar. In keeping with the theme, I had a pizza that was shaped as a jelly bean. I enjoyed it; it was very tasty. I did learn this tidbit however. Jelly Belly® does not currently sell a pizza flavor, but their infamous "Vomit" flavored bean (featured in Harry Potter Bertie Bott's and BeanBoozled lines) was created from a failed attempt at a cheese-pizza flavor. Taste testers found the pizza attempt so unpalatable that the recipe was rebranded as a bad flavor instead. Both these goofs are prime examples of "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade".

After eating, we browsed the store. I bought a sample of the Jelly Belly BeanBoozled Fiery Five collection which features five progressively hotter, pepper-inspired flavors made with real purée: Sriracha, Jalapeño, Cayenne, Habanero, and Carolina Reaper. Ranging from mild to scorching (up to 2 million Scoville units for the Reaper), these are designed as a tasting challenge rather than typical sweet candy.

We then went outdoors for the train ride to the museum. The museum is just a few yards across the parking lot from the factory/store, but why not enjoy a free train ride as well? The red brick building is visible in the background of the second photo. The third photo is from the museum perspective looking back on the factory/store. Yes, the two are an embarrassingly close walking distance away, but we climbed aboard anyway for the fun of it.

Since it was close to Easter on April 5th, there were several springtime displays. I thought the first one with flower sprays and bunnies was artsy and pretty.

I wanted Alex to pose in one of the chairs, flanked by rabbits. Based on his facial expression, he was definitely reluctant at first. He did cheer up shortly, though.

The museum had other artwork to admire. This decoupaged bunny caught my eye. I also liked the jelly bean 3-D renditions of animals of the Chinese zodiac, the rooster and the pig. Notice the detail in the feather colors of the rooster. The pig even has splotches of mud plastered to his side and snout.

Most of the museum was a collection of antiquated or outmoded equipment that had been used in making Jelly Belly Beans in the past. We did a cursory walk by. It was toward the end of the outing and we were tiring. Alex and I took one last train ride back to the front of the factory where our car was parked. Alex seemed thoughtful. We headed home. We were glad we had explored something different for this Sunday's outing. 

Sunol Train Ride

Saturday afternoon, March 22nd, Frank and I decided to enjoy a train ride on the Niles Canyon Railway. The drive to the starting point at the Sunol Station, about 10 miles southwest from our home in Livermore, took less than a half hour. The roundtrip train excursion from the Sunol Station to Niles District and back would last 1 hour and 20 minutes. We chose the trip option that left at 1:00 pm. 

The weather was sunny, gorgeous, and pleasantly warm. We chose to sit in a covered but open air car and were rewarded with a lovely, gentle breeze. Once on route we passed other railcars, railroad crossings, and just the general steep hillsides of the canyon. 

On an adjacent track was an M200 refurbished rail car. Frank, Alex, and I had taken a ride on that vehicle shortly after it had been released for transport in August of 2022. Frank is wearing the hat he got as a souvenir from that ride. The skunk logo is symbolic of M200's nick name. Per my 8/28/22 blog post for that outing, when

 M200 had been used as a commuter bus, its route went past some fish processing yards, ripe with the stench of rotting fish. The name stuck and was adopted as a logo.

When the train's route passed very close to the road, on the opposite side from the M200 tracks, I snatched a quick photo of the railroad crossing signs, too.

The train tracks wound through a canyon. Our perspective from the railcar made it impressively clear just how steep those walls were. The track itself remained fairly level. The elevation at its start in Sunol is 266 feet above sea level. Our ending point in the Niles District of Fremont is about 200 feet lower.

We ended at the Niles Depot Museum, the same area where Frank, Alex, and I went antique browsing earlier this year in February. There was no disembarking in Niles this trip, but we were OK with that. We got to watch how the engine decoupled and navigated to the other end of the train for the reverse trip back to Sunol.

I risked life and limb (really, only my cell phone) by leaning out the window for these shots as the engine trundled by and passed to the far end. I had to snap my shots swiftly because all those other pesky passengers were hanging their heads out the windows as well. Some of my photos are not as level as I would have liked, but I left them crooked lest I crop out too much of the engine.

Our route ran along side the bubbling waterway known as Alameda Creek. In looking it up I learned Alameda Creek is an antecedent stream, which means it is a stream that maintained its original course and pattern despite the changes in underlying rock topography. Like the Grand Canyon, it kept eroding soil to maintain its path as hills rose on either side of it.

We were in the second car of the train on the trip out. On the return trip we were the second to last car from the engine. This vantage point allowed me to zoom in and catch a glimpse of 1423 as it rounded a bend.

Bobber cabooses, especially red ones are Frank's favorite. Bobber Cabooses are known for their wooden bodies, 4 wheels, and single-truck frames. Allowing little stability, they bumped and swayed while in motion – hence the “bobber” nickname.

Here is Frank posing next to 1423, the engine that pulled us for our afternoon ride. In general locomotives have numbers for names. There are a few legendary exceptions like the Wabash Cannonball and the Flying Scotsman but in general they have numbers. The first photo shows off the locomotive; the second photo shows off Frank! He and I had a fun time.

Niles Antique Browsing

Saturday, February 7th. Frank, Alex, and I went to the Niles District in Fremont to stroll along Niles Blvd and browse in and around the antique shops there. The shops had lots of bunny bowls, dishes, statues, and knick-knacks, it being so close to Easter in early May. Alex delighted in noting them and repeatedly declaring "Rah" for rabbit. 

I Googled what was of interest along Niles Blvd and came up with the following list of antique stores and their locations. The Train Depot museum was not open on the day we went but we made a mental note to come back some other time.

Besides antique stores, there were classic vehicles parked along the main street. There was a red flatbed tow truck with a crane dated 1910.

A Ford Model A, most likely from 1930 or 1931 was configured as a fire department chief's car and parked on the main street, Niles Blvd.

At the far west end of Niles Blvd was Skillet'z where we had lunch: a tuna melt for Frank, grilled ham n' cheese for Alex, and a patty melt for me. Frank also indulged in a chocolate milk shake served in a canning jar. The food was comfort food and all tasted great. We will keep this restaurant in mind the next time we visit the area.

Besides, the allure of the antique shops, there is also a definite train vibe to the area. The rest room signage caries out the railroad theme. We will most definitely go back when the Niles Depot Museum is open. I took a photo of the near upcoming dates to remind us.

We also noted there will be a model train event on March 8th. Frank will most likely aim to check in on that. We also learned that is it held quarterly, so if March 8th does not pan out, there will be other opportunities.

The afternoon was pleasant and low key. Another bonus was that we did not buy anything to add to our own "antique" possessions at home. I did not ride home with a Singer treadle table crammed across my lap — since it did not fit in the trunk — as I did one other time, several years ago, from a small town about two hours away. The old fashioned typewriter is also from another antique fair visit. So. Success in Niles. We enjoyed our outing, and there was no "new" item to contend with when we got back home!