Live, from Best Western!

IMG_6486_sunrise
Originally uploaded by triviaqueen

The Westerly Hotel in Courtenay seems like it was built in several stages without the use of a single blueprint. As a result, to get to our room on the second floor, we took an elevator, then went up a few stairs, down a hallway, then down a few stairs. Sigh.

Still, being in a room with wireless access, our own bathroom (and shower!) and two beds beats the heck out of the crowded though quiet campground where we "slept" more-or-less on the ground in Parksville. The campground was right across the street from a Panago Pizza -- guess what we had for dinner?

Of course, the beach at Parksville is one of the most amazing I've been to -- it's very shallow and you can walk for a long way before the water is over your knees. What I hadn't seen before was the public park adjacent to the beach; there is a decent water play area and climbing and playground equipment from every era for the past 50 years. As Kiddo put it, "This place is a kid's best dream!"

Also, not being able to sleep on the hard ground meant I was up at 6 a.m., watching the sunrise on the beach before settling in to reading for an hour or so when the others started to rise.

Rose a little later this morning and after some coffee and breakfast we'll be heading out to the Courtenay Museum before making our way to the next stop up the highway.