Grace Ridge & Berry Heaven

Upon our return to Homer, Katie's co-workers had planned a little party to celebrate our wedding. The plan was to have it at one of the therapists, Bernadette's, home in Tutka Bay. Unfortunately, since we have been back there has been very minimal sunshine and mother nature did not cooperate the weekend it was planned so it ended up being in Homer instead. It was a lovely little party nonetheless and reminded us how lucky we are to have such wonderful friends in both Alaska and Colorado!
We have been hoping to find time to go over to Tutka Bay and hike Grace Ridge all summer. Additionally, our good friend, Kelsea, who is a traveling therapist and has been working at SPH the past 6 months is soon moving on to a new adventure. So, we decided rain or shine we'd do it the following weekend and boy, did Mother Nature pay us back! We were gifted with two glorious days of sunshine and clear skies for our little adventure. Bernadette gave us a ride across the bay in her skiff and was even so kind as to pick us up at the other end of the trail and let us camp at her home.

Sunshine!!!

Our lovely skipper Bernadette

Glassy water

Don't eat those Hank!

More crazy mushrooms

Happy Trails

Is that volcano smoking?

Homer Spit from the other side of the bay

Looking down into Sadie Cove

Isn't she cute? We're going to miss you Kelsea!

The mighty mountain dog

Despite the happy faces, it was a little tiring

Probably my favorite picture of Hank ever

I think he likes the view

Bernadette & Randy's home. Yes, that is a very cozy little houseboat.

And with this view out the front, I could maybe live without electricity too

Picking berries in Jakolof Bay 

Salmon Berries

Watermelon Berries

That is a berry picker for everybody in states where every berry is poisonous

This is what happens when you're not the one using the berry picker

Our bounty-salmon berries & raspberries

And my all-time favorite fruit, BLUEBERRIES!!!

Lots of pictures  but as you can see the views were AMAZING!!! They don't even quite do it justice. This was hands-down one of my favorite weekends here yet. To top off the fabulous hike, Bernadette and Randy were wonderful hosts and spoiled us with rockfish, salmon, and blueberry cake while sharing stories of raising their 2 girls in the houseboat. In addition, I still get giddy when I see edible berries to pick since, as I think I've said before, I was taught most berries growing wild in Colorado are sure to bring at the very least a severely upset stomach. 

With that being Kelsea's last weekend in Homer, we are sad to see her go. She has been a great friend to Grant, Hank and I and we're still not-so-secretly hoping she'll come back to live. She is headed to North Pole (by Fairbanks, not Santa) to work for a few months and we are planning to visit her there for some Northern Lights viewing! Until then, we will stuff our bellies with berries and slowly begin our hunkering down for the winter.