I had left early, and was the first to arrive. Other park visitors were in the observing site. Hiking, picnics, enjoying the scenic overlook, all draw visitors to the park. I bet you get tired of these types of questions. But, I don't get tired of them.
Most people are genuinely interested when theystart to learn about the sky and our equipment.
Some even stick around into the evening and get their first looks through a telescope. After a short time, John Hales pulled in. A layer of cloud threatened us as sunset approached, but the prevailing onshore winds and tendency for change after sunset kept us all there. Low above the shoreline in the distance below, a nice layer of fog appeared to be beginning its push into the lowlands. Jupiter and Mars were the early hits of the party, many people using binoculars to view them together.