I went to a National Park this weekend, more for a chance to get out and “be in nature” than anything else. After all, our public lands are just that—public, and we must take advantage of that fact. Apparently, however, I was not the only one with the idea to visit this particular day.

As I made my way closer to the entrance, I noted there was a ton of traffic. Surely, I thought, all these people wouldn’t be going to the park, right? Of course they were, plus even more from the other direction. Great. But, since I drove there, I was going into the park, traffic or no.

Just inside the park traffic stopped, and a sea a brake lines greeted me. We were all waiting for the single entrance booth that was open to collect our money, give us our map, and send us into nature. Joy. This was going to be a while.

And it was.

Eventually it was my turn at the booth. The ranger there was all smiles! She warmly greeted me, and made me feel as if I was the first person she saw that day. She was beyond pleasant, friendly and made sure I was ready to enter the park. I could not believe how she could do this, especially because I was one out of what seemed to be a million people that day.

Yet she was.

And she absolutely made my day.

The National Park service has so many awesome people working for it, and events like this prove just how awesome they are.