Heading north

View point along the Malahat

With the sun shining and the car neatly packed to the rafters we headed out of the wet microclimate that is Goldstream park. We chose the scenic route, highway 19A along the coast and passed through the small coastal towns along Georgia Straight. We stopped for a while in Chemainus to look at the old town with its many murals and decided to return here for a closer look. We also drove through the towns of Duncan and Ladysmith and we were surprised by the size of them. All the big box stores were there. The drive to Parksville was easy and uneventful and we arrived at beautiful Rathtrevor park, chose our camping spot close to the beach and registered with the gate house for a three night stay.

The tent looks so much happier in the sunshine

In about 20 minutes our camp was set up and we were ready for a walk about the park. It seemed that the local high school had a weekend camping trip on the go because there were a large number of young kids in the group campground for some kind if orientation gig. They were all having a good time on the beach. It was lightly overcast but not the kind of cloud cover that produces rain. However there was a cool breeze.

This kid was tearin' up the trails on his bike

Nice homes along the shore

Just a special shot for the Beglaws

Our walk lasted nearly 90 minutes and we scored our 10k steps on Shelagh's fitbit. Along the way we came across sandcastles made by the students and took some pictures, some were very creative and very well executed. It was time to go to town and stock up on a few things, we bought a rotisserie chicken, tortellini and some sauce both made by Mr. Olivieri, and some fresh fruit and veggies.

Blissful sunshine, but a cool breeze

Once back at our campsite we decided to go to the beach near our new home and have some wine and a soak in the sunshine, the change of weather was a very welcome experience... At the check in station we ordered and paid for three bundles of firewood and asked for it to be delivered to our site. When a man arrived with firewood he filled three large plastic bins with wood and we ended up with an enormous pile. Typically a bundle of wood is about half the size of this generous helping. I went to work on some of the straightest logs and turned them into kindling. After a dinner of chicken and Caesar salad we lit our fire and enjoyed a wonderful evening with no rain...

A parallel fire works best

 

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