Going Off the Grid at La Caleta: Saying Goodbye to Paradise and Exploring Homer

We had actually been scheduled to leave at 0930 to leave Marcee time to get the place ready for the next tenants who would be coming in at 1130.  Unfortunately, the winds made it hell for those in the bay and Willie made the judgement call to call over a friend and their enclosed cabin water taxi (on his dime) to shuttle us back to Homer because he didn't want the girls to get scared. What a sweetheart, right?

At 1330, the M/V Beowulf roared alongside the beach to collect us.  The girls LOVED Tugger the sea dog was there to accompany us.

This gave us a chance to get to know these two lovely people: Tom and Tammy, the owners of Red Mountain Marine. They provide fjord tours, water taxi service to hiking trails across the bay, and wildlife tours. (907-399-8230) They are just such great personable people with a top-notch vessel. If you ever are in need of services in Homer, they are THE people to go with.

A quick picture of the kids and our new friends Marcee and Willie.  The awesome thing about the shuttle delay was that it gave us an opportunity to visit more extensively with these two.  Such a great story, living the dream. Louie and I have just fallen in love with them.

 We were finally in Homer, a little seasick to our stomachs. After a quick bite to eat, we headed straight to the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitors Center to get the girls their maritime biologist patch (much like the national park junior ranger program).

Then, of course, we had to stop by this charming bookstore, The Old Inlet Bookshop, right next to the Mermaid Cafe.

Old books, new books, everywhere!

We checked into the Driftwood Inn. Charming OLD place with European style layout (as in shared bathrooms down the hall). We didn't mind much since we were just staying for one night.

We walked across the street to the Old Tyme Steakhouse and ate dinner. Meh. It was ok.

And turned in for the night.

The next day, we took some last minute photo ops by the spit while it wasn't as crowded.

 We even fit in some geocaching!

It was sad leaving the place. But we're pretty confident this will be an annual trip.  For any of you who want to see La Caleta for yourselves...DO IT.  You will not regret it. 

www.sailwood.com

Reserve your dates for next year ASAP. They are booked every single day until the end of this season. 

Going Off the Grid at La Caleta: Day Three Relaxing

 Day three started with a peek out the window to discover white caps.  Waves and wind are not good for us beginner kayakers. Willie had stopped by in the morning to make sure we were still alive. He let us know the "williwaw" would die down around 7pm.  Despite the wind, the sun was out in full force. We decided to just relax for the day and kayak later on in the evening.

Daddy and Little Liv discussing what sea creatures we've seen so far and what she hoped to see that day.

Amazing what the kids can busy themselves with given there is water and a plethora of rocks available.

Low tide came and the kids focused their attention to the sea anemones and jellyfish.

After some pleading, Louie went out on a single and nudged a true star starfish to the shore for closer examination.

 It was in the process of eating a mussel!

After a bit of examining, we gently placed "Patrick" back in the water.

The encounter with the starfish reminded us that we had yet to pick some mussels for Sophia (she orders a plate of them at Olive Garden every time!).  

Lucky us, the big rock that had a bunch of them sat underneath an eagle's nest.

Sophie LOVED them!

Hubby and I enjoyed the bottle of complimentary Chilean wine from our hosts.

The kids goofed around on the "Little Mermaid" rock.

Us girls completed a jigsaw puzzle while the boys played poker.

We shared cuddles.

 Before we knew it, it was 7pm, and just as Willie said, the wind died down.

Rain gear (instead of spray skirts) and PFD's were thrown on FAST! I think every one of us had fallen in love with kayaking.

A bit later, we went for another go-round out into the cove.

We opted for the Mister just giving all of us a turn with him since it was still pretty rocky out, and Sophie didn't want to be stuck sitting with a squirmy Liv in her lap.

 She pretended she was on a roller coaster ride.

Dylan and his dad had the last trip down as it was starting to get dark. What a view!

Finally, after a visit to the sauna, we settled in for bed. But not before some family time. The ONLY time I got the WHOLE family to sit and listen to poetry readings. I was one happy momma. :-)