I'm in Nanaimo which you will have to pass through to get to Parksville so here goes.Two trips come to mind,the first one is to ride to Courtney of the old highway (19a) which goes along the shore with some hills and the return by the new highway(19) which is inland from the old.The old highway is just used by the locals now but is narrow without alot of shoulders but is scenic,the new has great shoulders but has a lot more traffic. The second trip would be to take Highway 4A from Parksville until it joins with Highway 4 at Coombs(tourist trap with lots of funky places) and then go to at least Cathedral Grove Park and return but stay on Hwy 4 to Qualicum Beach and then return to Parksville. If you don't mind climbing a hill go past the Grove to Port Alberni.Places to see and stop at on the first trip are Qualicum Beach beach,the main part of town is up the hill at the gas station,the Fanny Bay Inn for food and such,Buckley Bay gas station to watch the ferry come in from Denman Island and a couple of Oyster farm/factories on the wayside.The second trip has an obligatory stop at Coombs Market to look at the goats on the roof and check out the stores,a stop at the Whiskey Creek store for an ice cream cone(fourty flavours)(A word to the wise buy one size smaller than your normal),then a visit at the big trees in Cathedral Grove Park for a mental health break.If you decide to extend this trip to Port Alberni have a hamburger at the J+L Drive-in on Gertrude street one light before the water on hwy 4 in Port Alberni,old fashioned burger with an old fashioned taste,leave the burger in the bag to eat it(fuel for the return trip).You could also consider a jaunt over to Denman and Hornby islands for a daytrip.