If you search long enough near the geysers of Yellowstone, it seems you could assemble an almost fully equipped tourist.
On 16 September, national park staff published a list of things visitors managed to lose this season. And it looks as if someone shook out the contents of several suitcases right in the middle of the geothermal zone.
Among the finds — more than 280 hats, five AirPods, six Invisalign retainers, 15 press-on nails, Pokémon cards, toy cars, rubber ducks, pink slime and even one lonely Uno card.
Plus — more than 18 dollars in change.
The number of hats is especially impressive. Apparently, the wind in Yellowstone has its own collection of accessories.
But the Invisalign retainers raise entirely different questions.
How exactly a person manages to lose a retainer next to a geyser is a mystery for which, perhaps, it is better not to seek too detailed an answer.
The lonely Uno card looks no less wonderful.
Where are the rest of the cards? Who won? Why did this one stay in Yellowstone?
History is silent on that.
Park staff remind visitors that throwing things into geothermal springs is not allowed: foreign objects can damage fragile natural formations, and retrieving them can be difficult and dangerous.
So this funny story has a thoroughly serious moral.
But the list is still impressive.
280 hats, AirPods, nails, toys, slime, money and an Uno card.
A little more, and Yellowstone will be able to open its own lost-and-found shop. 😄
