While I love National Parks, I only care about this kind of spam if I'm actively planning a visit to one of them, so normally I would have just deleted the email without reading it at all. However, I was curious just how they expected us to celebrate Parks to Kids day if they were all shut down, so I clicked and read. I was confused when I reached the text that said, "We have tons of virtual park activities for kids and virtual Junior Ranger cancellations to add to your collection!" Cancellations to add to my collection? What the heck was that?
I was moved to click the link and visit the website. Which was similarly confusing.
It kept talking about collecting virtual cancellations. I clicked another link and found more.
I thought that what must be going on here was some kind of Find & Replace command that a staffer at the website had executed because he was so pissed about the stuff that has happened because of coronavirus. Maybe some guy didn't agree with everything being locked down, and so he thought he'd have fun, encourage everybody to enjoy the cancellations. Weee!
I took screen shots of the email and the website, assuming that sooner or later somebody would see this, and return the website to its proper state.
Turns out there's nothing so fun as that involved. I googled passport cancellations, and wound up at this Wikipedia page about the passport stamps program. That didn't immediately clear it up, but one of the links on the page led me to this other Wikipedia page, and at last I understood.
Cancellations are what those little circular stamps they put on letters to show the stamps have been used are called. So, going to a national park to collect cancellations on your passport would be a thing. Therefore, in "these trying times" collecting virtual cancellations would be a thing as well.
I've seen those stamps in the various visitors centers I've been to. I don't collect them myself. I should have, because they are free. Instead, I've been collecting patches from the parks I visit.
They charge more than you might expect for a patch, but I've committed to pay it at all the places I visit. It's all good. I really like patches, so I'm happy.
Now I'm just rambling, I guess. I originally thought I had something interesting to talk about here, and it turned out that it ain't no thang. So, I'll just say goodbye, folks. See you next time.
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