Lost & found passports in Gold Country

LOST passports near Empire Mine, Grass Valley

Last Friday at 5:15 p.m., I was leaving the Empire Mine State Historic Park parking lot in Grass Valley when my passports vanished from my backpack. The late afternoon light turned the pines gold, and I was texting my sister about our trip ahead. I retraced steps past the visitor center and near the old tailings pond, but the lot stayed quiet and nothing turned up. Those documents are crucial for my upcoming flight, and the thought of losing them is weighing on me.