My Ahousaht adventure was really the great, rewarding high-point and culmination of my BCingYou road trip. See 20th & 21st Posts.
My final few remaining days on Vancouver Island were all about "wrapping-up and heading back." Heading back to the more civilized side of Vancouver Island and, ultimately, heading back across the border to the U.S.A.
The wrapping-up focused on a re-visit to the community of Courtenay, B.C. This is the community that hosted the Vancouver Island MusicFest. See 5th Post. And it was also the community that looked, on first glance, to be the most livable of any I'd seen on Vancouver Island. So I went back for a second glance.
My first impressions were born out. Courtenay is a cozy, walkable small town with a Norman-Rockwell-like main street and city park. It sits in the rain-shadow of the Strathcona wilderness, so weather is sunny and dry. Surrounding farms and fields are beautifully bucolic. It sits in the middle of Vancouver Island's east coast, so access to warm beaches, hiking and other island delights is easy. It also sits on the convergence of two rivers, which offer lots of safe spots for summer swimming. Add miles of waterside bike paths. And lots of inviting merchants, restaurants and watering holes. A library and quality food shops. All with a wholesome, small-town feel. And a very pleasant citizenry.
Absent MusicFest, there's no evidence of 'tourist-pandering' in or around Courtenay. The town belongs to the townsfolk. In fact, tourist accommodations are few. But Blueberry Cottage, pictured on this page, is available for long-term seasonal rental.
Maybe in 2011? Sounds good to me. After all, I've got to avoid Palm Desert's blistering heat in July-August.
Departing from my 2-day stay in Courtenay, I packed up the ever-faithful 240 Volvo (an impressively honest 31.15 average mpg over all 1,400+ miles of BCingYou travel) and I enjoyed an easy 3-hour drive to the Coho ferry dock in Victoria... arriving in plenty of time for my mid-afternoon return sailing to Washington.
And THAT's the end of my BCingYou blog.
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BCingYou...
Michael
