By Jamie Rieger

As soon as the winter weather melts away and is replaced by the warm spring sunshine, I get itching to get in the car, camera in hand, to do a little daytripping.
This past Sunday, as soon as I finished with my morning coffee, I decided that a trip to Cypress Hills was in order. Not only did I want to see how much snow was still on the ground at the park, but was hoping to get some pictures of the wildlife that only make themselves present when there are few people around.
As I drove down Highway 41 South, I stopped to take a couple pictures of a couple llamas that were basking in the  morning sun. "Such majestic animals,' I thought to myself, listening to the morning call of the meadowlark coming from a nearby fencepost.
Llamas are curious animals and were likely wanting to know why this strange person was standing there watching them. One llama, who I am calling Dolly Llama, started walking towards me and promptly stuck her tongue out at me. Knowing that llam as can also be very territorial creatures, I decided that was probably a good time to get back in the car and continue with my travels.
Getting closer to the Cypress Hills, I could feel the temperature dropping as the elevation rose. No problem, I was expecting cool weather and had my parka packed on the back seat. Snow dotted the knob and kettle topography of the area on the northern fringes of the hills and sloughs were filled to the brim with water.
Reaching the park, I was amazed at the amount of snow that still sat on the ground, despite the warm sun. I learned that the road to Reesor Lake had been plowed on Saturday, so made my way there to get a glimpse of the lake from the panoramic viewpoint site at the top of the hill. Seeing the white of the snow mixed with the green of the trees made the whole trip worthwhile and I spent a few minutes just enjoying the view.
I wanted to take a drive over to Horseshoe Canyon, but found that some of the roads were still closed, so I made my way to the townsite to see what I could find there. What I found was lots of people who were enjoying the weather with their families. Some were out for leisurely strolls with their dogs, others were taking part in a snowball fight that involved about eight or 10 people, and still others were having fun along the beach. Beach fun and snowball fights at the same place? At the same time? I almost would not have believed it if I had not witnessed it with my own eyes. But, that is what was happening.
A few more clicks of the camera and I had to get back in the car to head back to the city. Not that I wanted to. Cypress Hills was absolutely breathtaking on Sunday and I drove back home, wishing I could have spent all day enjoying it.