Farms and fields meander

September 1, 2021

Shelley loop #2

We were out on the bike by 9 this morning, this time turning west from the campground and right into a chilly SW wind. Brrrrr - I was frigid despite having a jacket on over my 2 tops!

At least I had thought ahead and covered my ears with an ear band, but I was wearing light leggings which were no match for the chill. The wind took the 62 degree temperature down into the 50's.

Don said he was fine with his typical shorts, short sleeves and bare feet in his sandals. I did have him stop so I could put on my rain jacket which at least kept my chest warmer.

Our ride today took us west and then south along the Snake River where we spotted several nice homes perched on top of a bluff overlooking the water. From there we zigged and zagged some more as we generally went south past Firth.

Once we turned east again the wind wasn't as much of an issue and it felt warmer.

This was another enjoyable flat country ride with much of same crops and livestock along with a dairy. It did seem to us that the homes south of Shelley were older and some properties not as kept up as on the north side. I even spotted some old barns!

The air quality was much better today and we actually had blue skies with sunshine! It was nice to see some clear detail on the foothills to the east of us.

We saw lots of interesting things on this ride - from a quilt barn to an old sugar beet factory. I kept having Don stop so I could take a better picture.

Eventually our route turned north as we rolled into downtown Shelley where the strong smell of mac and cheese greeted us. It was coming from the Best American plant which makes many different food products for schools, homes and restaurants. Including a vegan mac and cheese!

We arrived back home by noon, in time for lunch and a spot to warm up for me. A hot shower helped a lot as did the sun shining on the trailer.

The afternoon was a typical one - just relaxing and planning our next few days. Tomorrow we break camp and head north to Butte, MT.

This is the first quilt barn we've run into on this trip. It was at a dairy - appropriate considering they had black and white Holsteins.

Well, we've never seen this before - an irrigator that uses a narrow plank to cross the canal between fields.

Don thinks this a backscratcher/duster for cattle. He's never seen one before.

Okay, I had to look this one up. Goshen is an unincorporated community that was first settled in 1883. It was named after the Land of Goshen which was a place mentioned in the Bible as the place in Egypt given to the Hebrews by the pharoah of Joseph. It was near the promised land.

This field was filled with bales of hay. All neatly stacked 3 high.

On the outskirts of Shelley we came across this old sugar beet factory, now a warehouse. It was part of the Utah/Idaho sugar company that was founded by Mormon pioneers in the 1800's. By the 1900's the company had plants throughout Utah and Idaho and served 6 states. The sugar beet production by this company slowed after WW II and by the 1960's-1970's had shut down. They couldn't compete with cane syrup and cheap corn syrup. Sugar beets are now a major crop in Idaho - 2nd in the nation with most grown in the Snake River Valley. There are new sugar plants located west of us.

As we entered Shelley, we could smell mac and cheese! How strange we thought, until we passed this Best American Foods plant. They manufacture all types of food for homes, schools and restaurants including vegan mac and cheese, lentil and beet pastas, and potato side dishes like Hungry Man hash browns.

Today's ride: 20 miles (32 km)
Total: 1,023 miles (1,646 km)

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