Scenic vistas make me hungry.

When we stopped to have a bite to eat while hiking around Deception Pass in Washington state, we enjoyed three different flavors of chocolate with grey sea salt we had picked up at Bayleaf in Coupeville. The "Aztec Chile" spicy version was my favorite. The salt grains made the experience a little transcendent and there were roasted pepitas inside.



Another flavor was burnt caramel. Delicious. The third had coconut flakes and almonds inside.



We, a thoughtful bunch, picked up all of our trash. The birds, who had previously snacked on shrimp, did not. They left behind the heads.

Early morning orange

Not long after dawn, the light fell beautifully across a bag of Cheese Rings and apricots. Guess which looked better for a pre-breakfast snack? Hint: not the Cheese Rings.

Oh, and also Eva made some great eggs, scrambled with both onion and green onions. Even better.

Campy

Beautiful sunsets and (more importantly) dry weather in the Seattle area led us camping. We made our way to Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle. Once on the island, we stopped at Bayleaf in Coupeville, a charming shop selling cheese, bread, wine, chocolates, and more.

We bought camping snacks there, including some wine (screw-top necessary), bricks of marigold gouda and a spicy cheese, individual puddings in rich flavors, mini chocolates, crusty bread, and some the best sausage I've had to date.

Oh, hadn't you heard? I'm eating some pork now. Mostly hard sausages and prosciutto/bacon. I'll save the wherefore for another entry.

Now, about those sausages --



Both (we bought two flavors) were perfect. Fresh air and beautiful views may have made it tastier, but it was already sharp (both the "hot" version and the less spicy) and chewy and moist. Beautiful. And for a camping trip, you really can't beat the portability of hard sausages and bread. I could have eaten nothing but this all weekend. I might have gotten ill, but I wouldn't have cared up until that oops-I-got-ill point.

If you like sausage, keep an eye out for this label: