Clint! I retired from the NPS in 1986. Now I’m ashamed to tell people I worked there. :-(
You were “old school”
which appears to have been pretty much dismantled to be replaced by a Daycare Center....built to resemble...a KENYAN HUT
They got the road cleared but most picnic areas were down and the one they opened was so packed it was impossible to get a spot. We drove around to find another and saw a large space that was empty. It was for overnight camping but had plenty of tables. We stopped and started taking our stuff out. A park ranger came up to us and said he had to leave because we weren't “camping”.
I asked how much was the camping permit ($10) and I'd pay it. He said no, we had to actually camp and to picnic we needed to go to those areas. I said, they are closed and no one is here.
His response? “I don't care”. Frankly he's lucky he's still alive. Before we left both my wife and I gave him a tongue lashing and he threatened to call “the police”. I said, “please do, they might not be as STUPID as you, you overpaid piece of $%$$#^*_P(*(*(U)*UT#E#E%!!!!”
Lost all respect for NPS after that.