"...nah, that's okay. C'mon up to the Half-Moon Battery!" Fortunately, this state park employee was extremely cool, and didn't seem to care that I was trespassing: I am not ashamed to say that, in this case, I took advantage of the Brotherhood of Dudes with White Beards connection! This gentleman had worked at Fort Snelling for something like 30 years, and was getting ready to retire within the next few weeks. He had started there as a reenactor, had performed many roles over the decades, and was now a maintenance guy. We chatted for a bit as we looked out over the Mississippi, and I offered to head straight out of the fort, but he told me to take my time and look around. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate having met this gentleman at this time and place.