Wild West Chocolate - Most Wanted Almond & Sea Salt 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)

Chocolate of the Day

Wild West Chocolate
Most Wanted Almond & Sea Salt 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.55 oz. (44 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65.2 g.) in total bar

Calories: 260 calories for 2/3 bar

Cost: $21.25 for 3 dark chocolate bars (approx. $7.08 each)
Purchased from: Wild West Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Wild West Theme Week, featuring chocolates with tie-ins to cowboys, outlaws, bears and other wildlife in the Great Outdoors.

Today's Most Wanted Almond & Sea Salt 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) was distributed by Wild West Chocolate, LLC (Missoula, MT).

Aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: slightly malty, roasted almonds, balanced, smooth dark chocolate; vanilla; and faint salt.

Texture: creamy texture and melt with tiny, crunchy almond bits

I liked that this bar wasn't too sweet. The fruit blend (date, mulberry, peach and mango) that the company uses (instead of cane sugar) gave the sweetness a more subtle, authentic and slightly layered flavor--compatible with naturally occurring fruit notes you might find in some cacaos.

And I appreciated the use of Regenerative Organic Certified* cocoa and Fair Trade ingredients.

Ingredients: Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Fruit Blend [Powdered Date++, Powdered Mulberry+, Powdered Peach+, Powdered Mango+], Cocoa Liquor++, Cocoa Butter++, Vanilla Extract+), Roasted Almonds+, Sea Salt. (+ = Organic; ++ = Regenerative Organic Certified; Cocoa Liquor and Cocoa Butter: Fair Trade Certified 55% of product.) 

Allergen-related information: Contains Almonds. "Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, peanuts, milk, wheat and soy."

* USDA Organic certification focuses on how food is grown, and prohibits synthetic pesticides, fertilizer and GMOs. Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) starts with organic certification as a minimum required baseline and adds  requirements around soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness for farmworkers.

Wild West Chocolate - Dark Horse Original Dark 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) - June 1, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Wild West Chocolate
Dark Horse Original Dark - 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.55 oz. (44 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65.2 g.) in total bar

Calories: 260 calories for 2/3 bar

Cost: $21.25 for 3 dark chocolate bars (approximately $7.08 each)
Purchased from: Wild West Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Wild West Theme Week, featuring chocolates with tie-ins to cowboys, outlaws, bears and other wildlife in the Great Outdoors.

Today's Dark Horse Original Dark - 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) was distributed by Wild West Chocolate, LLC (Missoula, MT). The company was founded in 2023 by BJ Howard, a woman whose interests include making a better chocolate ("without the junk") and water preservation.*

Aroma and flavor notes for this Dark Horse 70% bar included: balanced, smooth dark chocolate (chocolate-y; roasted brownie, smooth and very slightly earthy dark chocolate torte); vanilla; and very light fruits (stone fruit (peach), berry and mango).

Texture: pleasing creamy melt and mouthfeel

The sweetness in this bar came not from sugar, but rather from a very thoughtful fruit powder blend. The fruits added gentle and sweetness and subtle flavor depth. (The powders were fully incorporated into the chocolate so there was no detectable change in texture.)

I appreciated the use of organic and fair trade ingredients; the aforementioned well-executed blend of fruits to sweeten this dark chocolate (vs. cane sugar); and the relatively short list of ingredients.  

Ingredients: Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Fruit Blend [Powdered Date++, Powdered Mulberry+, Powdered Peach+, Powdered Mango+], Cocoa Liquor++, Cocoa Butter++, Vanilla Extract+). (+ Organic Ingredients; ++ Regenerative Organic Certified; Cocoa Liquor and Cocoa Butter: Fair Trade Certified 68% of Product.

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, peanuts, milk, wheat and soy."

*I love her interest in solving big problems. Water has been one of the most enduring and challenging issues in the Wild West. (The company donates a portion of profits "from every sale" to the River Management Society.)

And replacing cane sugar in chocolate is no small feat. From what I've tasted so far, the blend of powdered fruits (instead of conventional sugar) in her bars works very well. 

I also admire those makers creating dark milk chocolate bars "sweetened" only with milk powder. No sugar (or artificial sweeteners) were used in either of these approaches, and the chocolates were great.

 

Wild West Chocolate - Cowboy Coffee Dark Chocolate with Ground Espresso 70% Cacao (bar) - May 31, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Wild West Chocolate
Cowboy Coffee - Organic Dark Chocolate with Ground Espresso 70% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.55 oz. (44 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65.2 g.) in total bar

Calories: 260 calories for 2/3 bar

Cost: $21.25 for 3 dark chocolate bars (approx. $7.08 each)
Purchased from: Wild West Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Wild West Theme Week, featuring chocolates with tie-ins to cowboys, outlaws, bears and other wildlife in the Great Outdoors.

Today's Cowboy Coffee - Organic Dark Chocolate with Ground Espresso 70% Cacao (bar) was distributed by Wild West Chocolate, LLC (Missoula, MT).

Aroma and flavor notes for this Cowboy Coffee bar included: balanced, smooth dark chocolate with very faint coffee; campfire marshmallow and vanilla; very light stone fruit/berry; and barely detectable salt/savory and warm spice.

Texture: creamy texture and melt with very little coffee ground grit (thank you).

I enjoyed this bar. It felt hearty and substantial without being acidic or bitter. The well-integrated coffee complemented the dark chocolate and vice versa.

I appreciated the organic and fair trade cocoa and coffee; the use of fruits to sweeten this dark chocolate; and the relatively short list of ingredients.

Ingredients: Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Fruit Blend [Powdered Date+, Powdered Mulberry+, Powdered Peach+, Powdered Mango+], Organic Cocoa Liquor++, Organic Cocoa Butter++, Vanilla Extract+), Organic Coffee++, Cinnamon+. (+ Organic Ingredients; ++ 69% Fair Trade Ingredients, Fair Trade CertifiedTM)

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, peanuts, milk, wheat and soy."

Ocho Candy - Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Minis - Nov. 19, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ocho Candy

Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Minis
Good ++

Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total package of 8 minis

Calories: 280 calories in minis
Cost: $ Missing information 
Purchased from: Missing information

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week. 

This post is about good memories.

Today's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Minis were from Ocho Candy, Inc. (Oakland, CA). Ocho closed down earlier this year after 14 years in business. (Fortunately, these were in my chocolate vault.)

Ocho Candy's founders were committed to making higher-quality chocolate candy bars--before many companies had even considered Organic and Fair Trade, or gluten-free, chocolate bars, or dropping artificial colors and ingredients. They made some great small candy bars.

And speaking of memories, I chose today's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter mini bars because they reminded me of a chocolate, peanut butter and fresh banana milk shake I fell in love with--at a poolside bar in Maui, many years ago. I made a delicious fresh banana milkshake at home and enjoyed these Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Minis with the shake, and pretended I was back in Hawaii. 

The two-bite bars had a smooth dark chocolate outer layer and a both creamy and very slightly crunchy peanut butter interior. The sugar and salt levels in the peanut butter filling were perfect for my taste. 

These individually-wrapped treats were easy to share and transport; but a smaller bar size didn't help with portion control. I'll just have one more...I thought, three times.

Ingredients: *Dark Chocolate, (*+Cacao Beans, *Evaporated Cane Sugar, *+Cocoa Butter, Sunflower Lecithin), *Peanut Butter (*Peanuts), *Cane Sugar, *+Cocoa Butter, *Peanut Flour, *Sugar (*Cane Sugar, *Tapioca Starch) and Sea Salt. (* = Organic; + = Fair Trade Certified by Fair Trade USA)

Allergen-related information: Contains: Peanuts. Made on Shared Equipment That Processes Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Milk, Eggs, and Wheat.

 

Theo Chocolate - Organic Pacific Northwest Coffee and Cream 45% Milk Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 2, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Theo Chocolate
Organic Pacific Northwest Coffee and Cream 45% Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: (Missing information)

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week.

Today's Organic, Fair Trade Pacific Northwest Coffee and Cream 45% Milk Chocolate (bar) was from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA). The outer wrapper contained cartoon icons (bear, fish jumping out of water, coffee pot, mountains, tent, etc.) of outdoor living and coffee loving in the Northwest U.S.

The company was one of the first chocolate makers to offer organic and fair trade-certified chocolates in the U.S.; and is "Fair For Life" Fair Trade Certified.

Aroma notes included: fresh coffee, coffee toffee, and dark milk chocolate.

This 45% milk chocolate had a pleasant, thick and creamy texture and melt, and barely detectable, finely ground coffee particles.

Flavor notes included: rich and creamy mocha latte--with identifiable dark milk chocolate and roasted coffee constituents, that were also well balanced, blended and complementary.

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate* (Cane Sugar*+, Cocoa Butter*+, Cocoa Beans*+, Whole Milk Powder*), Ground Coffee Beans*+. (*Organic, +Fair Trade)

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. Made on equipment that also processes wheat and tree nuts and in a facility that handles peanuts, eggs, and sesame. *Organic +Fair Trade (Contains 80% Fair Trade Ingredients)

Theo Chocolate sources their cacao from several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Equal Exchange - Organic Dark Chocolate 92% Cacao Total Eclipse (bar) - Sept. 8, 2023

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Equal Exchange
Organic Dark Chocolate 92% Cacao Total Eclipse (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 253.3 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Community Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA 

Welcome to Day #7 of Dark Chocolate Theme Week. 

Note: The second of two dark chocolate items (Becca's Petites Chocolat Noir Bouchees) featured today can be found in a separate/next entry.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate 92% Cacao Total Eclipse (bar) was produced in Switzerland for Equal Exchange Co-op (W. Bridgewater, MA).

This bar was described as "Transcendently dark." Chocolates with greater than 90% cacao tend to go beyond the limits of what most people have experienced. Some will enjoy the journey, and others may miss the sugar. But, there's more to the story...and it extends to how the cacao was transported from distant lands covered with temperate rainforests into a high-percentage dark chocolate, and how it reached us at all.

The organic cacao(s) used to make this ultra-dark chocolate were "grown by small farmer co-ops" in Togo*, Dominican Republic and Peru.

Aroma notes for this dark chocolate included: rich cocoa (drinking chocolate) and subtle vanilla bean.

The texture was smooth, thick and buttery (cocoa buttery).

Flavor notes included: bold, barely sweetened, smooth, ultra-dark chocolate with a balanced bitterness; subtle vanilla bean; and very faint, fleeting sweet red berry (raspberry jam). 

For those wanting less sugar and more unsweetened cacao flavor(s), this 92% dark chocolate blend is worth trying. You're also supporting many small cacao, sugar and vanilla farmer co-ops around the globe. (The organic cane sugar is from Paraguay, and the organic vanilla was from Madagascar.)

Ingredients: *Organic Chocolate Liquor, *Organic Cocoa Butter, *Organic Raw Cane Sugar, "Organic Ground Vanilla Beans." ("* Fairly Traded Ingredient By Weight 100% From Fair Trade Co-operatives.")

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Milk, Peanuts, Hazelnuts, Almonds & Coconut."

*Equal Exchange has been serving as an "alternative trader" and supporting small farmer agricultural co-ops (coffee, cacao, other) for decades. 

SCOOPS PROCAB (Kpalime, Togo) was founded in 2013, and has been an Equal Exchange partner since 2018. Along with help from Gebana Togo, SCOOPS PROCAB were the "first producers in Togo to grow and export organic cacao;" and through this process the small farmer co-op members have gained access to more markets and greater economic resources.

Alter Eco - Truffle Thins - Classic Dark Chocolate Organics (bar) - Sept. 5, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Alter Eco
Truffle Thins Classic Organic Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.48 oz. (42 g.) / 2.96 oz. (84 g.) in total bar
Calories: 255 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Community Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA 

Welcome to Day #4 of Dark Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Organic Alter Eco Truffle Thins - Classic Dark Chocolate Organics (bar) was made in Switzerland and distributed by Alter Eco Foods (San Francisco, CA). 

The company describes themselves having some of the cleanest, greenest (certified Organic) chocolate bars and confections available. E.g., they actively support regenerative agricultural methods** where cacao is grown. 

Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate (chocolate ganache, mousse) with faint citrus (lemon) + green herb (oxalis); faint brown sugar; vanilla; and barely detectable botanical (very light, woody-nutty plant stalk/husk).

There are dark chocolate bars and dark chocolate filled confections. Today's 60% filled chocolate bar was both...organic dark chocolate filled with ganache..."part truffle, part chocolate bar."

The dual construction of this bar--dark chocolate bar filled with a softer, creamy chocolate ganache inside--resulted in a smooth, almost buttery melt and mouthfeel, with subtle textural depth.

Flavor notes included: smooth, creamy and sweet dark chocolate (dark chocolate mousse, ganache, torte) with fleeting fruit (berry jam) and lemon herb (oxalis), and faint vanilla.

This certified organic and gluten free, rich filled chocolate tasted like sweet, creamy cool chocolate ice cream or warm, thick, drinking chocolate. Yes, it was sweet (which I sometimes don't care for); but it was also quite tasty and a little addictive.

Ingredients: Organic dark chocolate (*organic cacao beans, *organic raw cane sugar, *organic cocoa butter, *organic vanilla beans), chocolate creme filling (organic coconut oil, *organic raw cane sugar, *organic cacao beans, *organic cocoa butter, organic whole milk, natural flavor, *organic vanilla beans).

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk and coconut. May contain hazelnuts, almonds, and soy. Individuals who are allergic to these should not consume this product."

*Fair for Life Fair Trade certified. Contains 86% Fair Trade ingredients. (Cacao: 60% minimum.)

**Regenerative farming for cacao involves planting a diverse mix of trees around the (often smaller) cacao trees to "mimic an abundant forest ecosystem." These methods can allow the planting of more trees per acre, increase carbon absorption and biodiversity (habitat), soil fertility, drought resistance and can provide shade for the cacao trees and the farmers.

Zazubean - Buff'd Strong Chocolate with Coconut Sugar 90% Cacao (bar) - Apr. 10, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Zazubean Organic Chocolate
Buff'd Strong Chocolate with Coconut Sugar 90% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 270 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ Missing information
Purchased from: Missing information

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week, featuring chocolates with coconut sugar, milk, and meat inclusions.

Today's Buff'd Strong Chocolate with Coconut Sugar 90% Cacao (bar) was manufactured (in Switzerland) for Zazubean Organic Chocolate (Vancouver, B.C., Canada).

Aroma notes included: light citrus (lemony green herb, oxalis), faint vanilla coconut graham cracker.

This well-tempered bar had a relatively thick, almost creamy smooth, texture and an attractive, rich, semi-bitter flavor (like a good cup of roasted coffee). 

The 90% ultra-dark bar was, as expected, not too sweet (thank you!). A light touch of coconut sugar provided sweetness. And chocolate flavor notes included very faint, balanced earth and very faint, diffuse red fruit (berry) notes.

Certified organic and fair trade (made with "100% Fair Trade certified ingredients"*), this chocolate will appeal to ultra-dark chocolate fans who enjoy a smooth sophisticated blend, made with a short list of thoughtfully specified ingredients. (Cacao beans are sourced from "Dominican (Republic), Ecuador and Panama.")

*Ingredients: Organic, Fair Trade cocoa mass; Organic and Fair Trade cocoa butter; Organic and Fair Trade coconut blossom sugar; Organic and Fair Trade vanilla

Allergen-related information: (Contained coconut.) May contain milk, tree nuts and peanuts. Gluten free, soy free, vegan, kosher and "paleo friendly."

Untamed Confections - Dark Chocolate Coconut Cup - Apr. 6, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Untamed Confections
Dark Chocolate Coconut Cup
Good
Weight: 1.8 oz. (51 g.) in total cup
Calories: 270 calories (estimate) in 1 cup
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Untamed Confections (shop), Tubac, AZ

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week.

This substantial Dark Chocolate Coconut Cup was from Untamed Confections (Tubac, AZ).

The company's gluten-free chocolate confections, including today's chocolate cup, that I purchased were all very lightly sweetened with Sonoran Desert Wildflower Honey.* This made this cup a rare and delightful find: a coconut chocolate that wasn't gooey sweet with sugar and/or corn syrup. Hallelujah.

The thick, smooth dark chocolate cup was rich tasting and bittersweet. A toasted coconut and honey filling, shredded coconut topping and a faint flutter of vanilla provided lots of natural (subtle), balanced authentic coconut flavor.

*Ingredients: "Dark Fair Trade Organic Chocolate, Sonoran Desert Wildflower Honey, Organic Toasted Coconut, Organic Vanilla"

Note: In fairness to the vendor, I'm not showing a photo of this chocolate cup as it was stored for quite awhile in the chocolate vault (wine fridge), and did not look the same as it did when it was newly minted. (Traveling through a hot desert area with chocolates had its challenges.)

Marich Confectionery - Milk Chocolate Cherries - May 3, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Marich Confectionery Co.
Milk Chocolate Cherries
Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 2.3 oz. (64 g.) in total package
Calories: 265 calories in 2 oz. (56.6 g.) serving
Cost: $2.49 for 1 package
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week.

These generously-sized Milk Chocolate Cherries were from Marich* Confectionery Co. - Marich Pancrafted Chocolates, based in Hollister,  CA.

At the center of each large, muted red**, glossy confection was a chewy, sweet dried cherry. The surrounding chocolate***—made with fair trade certified cocoa—helped balance the sugar-sweetened fruit.

*Marich Confectionery (pronounced Mahr-ich) was established in 1983 by Marinus van Dam (creator of the Jelly Belly Jelly Bean).

**The company, now run by the second generation of family, has moved toward natural fruit and vegetable colorings over the years, as well as improving plant efficiency (energy conservation). (Thank you.)

***Marich uses chocolate from Guittard Chocolate Company, another large, family-owned and operated (since the 1850s) chocolate company based up the peninsula in Burlingame, CA. Guittard makes chocolate from scratch and supplies many high-end chocolatiers with the base chocolate they need for their bars and confections.

Alter Eco - Deepest Dark Super Blackout 90% Cocoa bar - Nov. 8, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Alter Eco
Deepest Dark Super Blackout 90% Cocoa bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 250 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

This ultra dark bar from Alter Eco (Europe and San Francisco, CA) had the kind of bold aroma that often promises deep chocolate and a relatively high degree of fruit acidity. That said, there was a very fleeting floral note that managed to peek through.

The texture was smooth, and the first bite was surprisingly sweet*, with true chocolate, nutty and acidic fruit flavor notes. However, this quickly simmered down to a more intense but balanced, bitter, acidic fruit sustained note toward, and into, the finish.

Alter Eco, a certified B Corporation, has specialized in a line of chocolate bars made with fair trade cacao (as well as coffee and quinoa) from the Americas (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and other locations), and has also been involved with reforestation projects (PUR in Peru).

Today's Super Blackout bar is the even more intense and daring sibling of the company's 85% Blackout bar. This certified organic and gluten free (and Non GMO Verified) bar was made in Switzerland with cacao from Fortaleza Coop in Ecuador—and was distributed in the U.S. by Alter Eco in San Francisco, CA.

*This chocolate was surprisingly sweet for a 90% bar with only 3 grams of sugar for 1 (1/2 bar) serving.

Rex's Outrageous, LLC - Road Crew Crunch Peanut Butter Pass Dark Chocolate Detour - Dec. 5, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Distributed by Rex's Outrageous, LLC
(A Portfolio Company of Halen Brands Inc.)
Road Crew Crunch - Peanut Butter Pass + Dark Chocolate Detour
Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 16 oz. (454 g.) in total package
Calories: 280 calories in 2 servings
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Hello and welcome to the first day of Chocolate Snacks Theme Week—an investigation of snack bars, confections, mixes, cookies, etc. that contain chocolate.

Today's Road Crew Crunch snack mix was a merge(r) of two different snack flavors: Peanut Butter Pass and Dark Chocolate Detour. Together, you had your choice of dark chocolate and/or milk chocolate covered, crunchy hunks containing peanuts, rice puffs and (gluten free) pretzels.

The snack market in the U.S. covers a wide variety of packaged items, including healthy and "indulgent" snacks. Annual total snack sales run in the billions of U.S. dollars.

While not all chocolates are considered "snacks," the total chocolate market in the U.S. is estimated to reach $24 billion or so in sales in 2017. (Sales of salty snacks reached an estimated $27.7 billion in the U.S. this year (April 2017).*)

If each different chocolate item in the world had a different bar code, and the total number of bar codes were printed on a truck (one per semi-truck), the resulting line of connected transport vehicles would stretch 142 miles from the Earth (allowing the trucks to reach into space and back to Earth again with a few miles to spare).** Granted, road construction in space is difficult; but you get the gist.

It's starting to rain and snow here in the Golden State, which means more road repairs ahead. We love our cars in California and have thousands of miles of road (394,608*** lane miles in 2013) to maintain. Today's Road Crew Crunch mix distributed by Rex's Outrageous, LLC (A Portfolio Company of Halen Brands Inc., Fairfield, NJ) might be a good, hearty snack for anyone outdoors doing road construction or other work.

*Source: www.statista.com
***Source: cubit planning blog (http://blog.cubitplanning.com/2010/02/road-miles-by-state/)
**Calculation for chocolate trucks to reach from the Earth to space and back:
75 ft. semi-truck + trailer x 10,000 (bar codes) = 750,000 feet, or 142 miles (228 km).
(It's roughly 238,900 miles from the Earth to the Moon, but "only" 62 miles from the Earth to the beginning of "space.").

The short film "142 Miles from Monday" might be a better, more metaphorical analogy for Chocolate Banquet and Walking-the-Bay research projects.
***Source: cubit planning blog (http://blog.cubitplanning.com/2010/02/road-miles-by-state/)

ChocolateBet: July 25, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Monbana (France)
Noir - Dark (bar, 70% cocoa; fair trade)
Very Good
Weight: 35 grams (1.22 oz.)
Calories: 190 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.99 (Canadian)
Purchased from: Le Cartet, in Montreal, Quebec