Orange You Glad We Stopped? A Giant Box of Halos in California!

Traveling down Highway 99 through California's San Joaquin Valley, Breezie and I spotted something you don't see every day. A giant blue box of Wonderful Halos oranges sitting alongside the highway! We had to get a picture of that one. But after doing a little digging, we discovered there's quite a bit of history behind this unusual building in Delano, California. More Than Just a Giant Box of Oranges That enormous Halos box stands approximately 80 feet tall and covers about 11,000 square feet. It was unveiled on November 2, 2016, to celebrate the fourth anniversary of Wonderful Halos. The building was designed to look just like the familiar blue boxes of mandarins you see in grocery stores, complete with giant oranges sticking out of the top. And it certainly gets your attention when you're driving by! What's Behind That Giant Box? Here's something we found interesting. Delano is home to one of the world's largest citrus-packing operations. The Wonderful Halos packing facility, built in 2012, covers more than 640,000 square feet. That's roughly the size of 11 football fields! The operation has provided hundreds of jobs for the area and plays an important role in California's agricultural industry. And those little mandarins go through quite a process before reaching your grocery store. They're cleaned, inspected, sorted, and packed using specialized equipment. The company even tests the fruit for sweetness and acidity to make sure it meets their standards. A Little History Behind Those Halos Wonderful Halos launched nationally in 2013, with mandarins grown primarily in California's San Joaquin Valley. The region has a long history of farming, and citrus is an important part of that story. Behind every bag of mandarins are the people who grow, harvest, inspect, and pack the fruit before it makes its way across the country. It's something most of us probably don't think about when we're peeling an orange at home. Another Interesting Stop Along the Road If you're ever traveling Highway 99 through Delano, keep an eye out for this giant blue building. It's visible from the highway near exits 52 and 54. It's part of a working packing facility, so it's best enjoyed as a roadside sight rather than a place to stop and tour. Breezie and I have always enjoyed finding these unexpected little pieces of history during our travels. Sometimes it's an old building, sometimes a historic bridge, and sometimes it's a giant box of oranges! There's always something interesting to discover if you keep your eyes open. Have you ever seen this giant Halos building, or spotted something unusual during your own travels? We'd love to hear about it! Finius and Breezie The Adventures of Finius the Skinniest