My first trip to Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park was on August 2007. I had just joined the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Saskatoon Centre and I was itching to go to the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party. I went three more times after that but since 2010, I’ve been absent. Despite not feeling well this year, I made the decision that I really had to do at least one camp this year so why not make the trek back to SSSP and Cypress Hills?
The drive out should have tipped me off to the kind of weather we would have. Usually, it’s about a 4 1/2 hour drive south-west of Saskatoon but with a 19′ trailer, it took us a little longer. It’s certainly a beautiful drive but the clouds and winds made me a tad uneasy. After all, Cypress Hills is a recognized Dark Sky Preserve and if nothing else, I wanted a good view of the skies!
We were a bit late making out to our campsite in the Meadows on Thursday evening so I missed the first talk. Friday, I officially registered at the tent and headed off to do some exploring. My mom and I started at the Lookout Point. A lovely winding drive that takes you to a ridge where you can look out over the surrounding low lands. After all, Cypress Hills is the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains! Careful not to blow away in the wind, we spent the day wandering the grounds before a quick dinner and evening talks at the resort.
Saturday morning, the weather finally seemed about to cooperate which meant kayaking time! I didn’t bring my own kayak because I was unsure about the weather but I really didn’t mind renting. The people running the boat rentals are super nice and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend them! Loch Leven isn’t the biggest lake in the world but a nice leisurely paddle around the lake will take just under an hour. And it’s loads of fun to follow the ducks around!
The park itself is quite nice but I was upset about the noise levels. I know camping has become a big family thing and it was a long weekend but it’s tough for those of us with high sensitivity to stimuli, particularly to loud noises. But overall, Cypress Hills is certainly one of the better parks in the province nicely balancing civilization and wilderness beauty.
I know I haven’t mentioned much about the star party and it’s not because I didn’t enjoy it. There were a lot of fascinating talks and it was nice to catch up with other astronomy people. But as I wasn’t feeling my best and I was camping with a non-star party person, I wasn’t quite as involved and as social as I really should have been.
The real event was the skies. As I said, Cypress Hills is a Dark Sky Preserve and actually the first DSP in Saskatchewan. The funny thing is that even with the wind and clouds, I saw more stars in one weekend out there than I do in Saskatoon all year around. In fact, there are always so many stars visible that it’s very easy for us city slickers to get disoriented. Unfortunately, I can’t show you the little bit of glory that I saw peeking out from the clouds because…I’m a twit. No, I’m not being hard on myself! Every time I try to shoot the stars, I forget something and this weekend was no exception. I forgot to set my focus BEFORE it got dark. URGH! So…yeah, my pictures are out of focus. But I hope you at least get a feel for the sky that will make you want to go check it out for yourself!
I would like to end on a happy note but unfortunately, there were some serious issues that really boiled to a head on the last night. In the past, the Meadows campground was star party people only. But the grounds have been extended and now anyone can camp there. This means that there were a lot of people there who had no respect for the people who have been using the area for the past 23 years. In particular, on Saturday night, we were plagued with a group of drunks who insisted on driving their trucks past our campsite every 10 minutes. They also insisted on playing loud country music and shouting until 1 am. With a full-blown migraine, I called the Park Watch number but was saddened to hear that it was just a central intake that asked details that I couldn’t possibly know. No one drove past us so unless the officers took a different route into the grounds, I have to assume that the drunks shut everything down themselves which is fine until you think about what would have happened if a more serious crime was being committed.
I’m trying to stay positive about my experiences that weekend. Again, I heard some very informative talks and was able to get some much needed fresh air. No, I didn’t get any hiking in but some paddling and a few short wanders were refreshing. I don’t know what I’ll decide to do about next years star party but overall, I’m glad I made it to this one!