Toronto to Belleville By Bicycle

Day 2: Cobourg to Presqu'Ile Park

   There are clouds in the sky and it threatens to rain. I had a good night's sleep at the campground in Cobourg and now I am up early. So I head out by 6:30 and, thankfully, the anticipated rain does not materialize during the day.

For breakfast, I have a recommendation to try the Buttermilk Café, but when reaching there, it doesn't open till half an hour later. So, I decide to hit the nearest Tim Horton's, always a reliable standby. As I ask a fellow on the road where that Timmy's might be, he point out that Cobourg has no Timmy's in the downtown area and I'd have to cycle out, somewhere close to Hwy 401. OK, it's an upscale town, but no Timmy's? So, I decide to cycle towards it, reaching a mall strip at the edge of town.   I stop at the first doughnut store I see - a Country Style - and buy a "Western on a Muffin" with coffee. Outside are table and I sit down beside a group of blue collar folks. I don't mind the burly setting, but the food is awful and the coffee is undrinkable. I sip a bit from my paper cup and toss the remainder to the side of the lawn.

I head back into town to rejoin the Waterfront Trail and follow it eastwards, past the city's water storage with its nice mural. The trail is part of the residential roads with their well-kept homes and large lawns, and at one point I lose may way because the trail sign is hidden behind the ever-spreading bushes.

Further into the countryside, my route leads me through a plant site but that distraction is quickly forgotten as the trail resumes it rural character. Particularly nice is a conservation area (just past Grafton) adjacent to the shore, with a meandering stream, a romantic-looking wooden bridge and benches to offer respite to the tired soul. A nice touch is the sign that says "No ATVs", telling me those guys understand the fragility of nature. Another surprise is the exhibit of an assortment of farm machinery, a private open air museum on someone's "lawn". And all along to the right is the hazy expanse of the lake.

	Nawautin Nature sanctuary near Grafton
				Beach warning at Haldimand Conservation Area
	On the way to Brighton and Presqu'Ile

I stop in Colborne, a compact little town with stores and various eateries.  A group of hikers has gathered and I ask one of them where it would be best to have my mid-morning coffee. He offers two choices, both good he says, and then explains they all are heading to Brenda's Family Restaurant. I'd be welcome, he says. So I join this gaggle of retired folks, émigrés from Toronto now living in Brighton and enjoying their life in the country. I probe for the drawbacks, and there are a few. The most challenging issues seem to be the rebuilding of one's circle of friends, finding ready access to medical services and, if there are teenage children, then the school system may be below one's expectations. All make occasional trips back to Toronto: to shop, to see old friends and family, or just to take in an event. I am thankful to have their company and I enjoy the little meal...

After an hour or so it's time to move on, with Presqu'Ile Park being the day's goal. I am not tired yet and could cycle onward to Wellington, but my son's family doesn't expect me there until the next day. The park's office assigns #132 as a camp site (for the fee of about $30, similar to Cobourg's camp ground), but when I check the site I find it is in a low area with swampy forest floor all around it. I have no desire to share the spot with a million mosquitoes and ask for an alternate. Since the park is only half full, I have no problem to change for site 207. That site is close to the lake, showers and amphitheatre are nearby, and it is in a dry area under big trees. I pitch tent and make myself at home.

   It is mid-afternoon and I explore the park: the marsh, the light house, the nature museum and the store. Most folks camping here have brought bicycles because the points of interest are distant from each other and there are safe paths in between. Nearly half the campers are from Quebec, I am told, and the camps seem set up for a week or more, to take advantage of this nice place. The core of the park is a forested peninsula, and the sandy isthmus connecting it to the main land has three large beaches that seem to be the main attraction here for the vacationing families.

For dinner, I head back to Brighton. It is at a few kms distance and I wouldn't want to walk it. The bike comes in handy as I pedal to Dougall's Restaurant. It is beside the water, busy at five p.m. already, and the food is good: Peppercorn Hamburger, salad and Key Lime Pie.

Back in the park, I meet Lois and Jim from Dorval, PQ. They are volunteers at the camp ground and tend to one of the park's official "Welcome Sites". Their job is to help campers enjoy all that the park has to offer. They will answer any questions and give advice, have a first-aid kit and bike repair tools ready if needed, and a pot of coffee invites the passerby to join for a chat. Both are retired and have been doing this volunteer job for a number of years.

	Road connecting two camp areas of Presqu'Ile Park	The historic Light House
A well laid out Nature Path showcases the Park's Marsh			A typical path in the Park

   The evening's program at the amphitheatre is a presentation about certain nature "myths" and the two park staff do their best to entertain the young folks. I am a bit bored and thus happy when they cut short the event. A heavy thunderstorm is approaching and they want the campers to go back to their sites before the skies open up. Soon sheets of lightning join the pouring rain - it is a storm front that brings severe damage to other areas of southern Ontario. But all I see and hear is just nature doing what nature does. I feel comfy in my little tent and soon am sound asleep.

Forward to Day 3&4: Presqu'Ile to Belleville

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