Seamus

I second this. I am about to launch a number of Travel Bugs, one of which will most likely be travelling through the area of the cache in question, and one which will eventually have to visit the state in the course of its travels. The purpose of these bugs (and indeed all of the ones I have or will put out) is, as the name implies, to travel. If one of my bugs were to wind up in this or any other TB prison, I would certainly hope that the owner would have the courtesy to respect my wishes and release it back into the wild. Like many others who enjoy the sport of GeoCaching, it simply is not within my means to stage a cross-country rescue mission to retrieve a travel bug every time someone thinks it would be funny to create a stash of other peoples' bugs and make it as difficult as possible to access. Just my two cents - take them or leave them...

I think there is a spraypaint that is specifically made for painting plastic. I can't remember the brand name however... Krylon's "Fusion" line, IIRC

I keep the "COPY" tag around, and write the name of the bug on it, in case of "accidents". That way, I can recover the bug if it goes MIA, and use the number to fabricate a replacement tag. Sad to say it, but TBs _do_ disappear from circulation from time to time, whether through theft or true accidents. Good to have a record of the numbers, in case you need them again.

...so there I was, hiking along at 8.064 trillion picofurlongs per microfortnight...

Provided you are logged into the site, when you pull up your bug's tracking page and click on the "Edit this item" link in the upper right corner of the screen, one of the fields you can edit should be the Name: field. Could be wrong, but that's how I did it with my own...

That's okay. Having just graduated, I'm looking to move out of Florida anyway. Preferably back to Maryland, if I can find someone who wants to hire me up there. Anyone know of a company that wants to pay me to GeoCache?

A Walkabout Town is an excellent multi-stage cache with a bit of a puzzle element to it. I enjoyed this one more than any other multi I've done. It took us a couple of hours to do, walked us around some of the more interesting and colorful spots in Leesburg, and threw in a little bit of humor as well. It's done in five stages, starting at a parking garage that gives you two hours of free parking (more than is needed for this cache). From there, a bit of simple math at each stage gets you to the next, which is also a point of interest. I like this type of multi a lot better than just a "go here, go there" type, where there isn't anything to speak of at the various points. A lot of care and planning went into this one, and it shows. With 41 out of 46 logs being "found it" entries (and most of the DNFs coming back to become finds), others seem to agree. To answer your initial questions: -- number of stages Between three and a half-dozen is fun. Too few and one can wonder why the hider didn't just go straight there. Too many and it can become tedious, unless there's something fun and/or interesting at the stages. It's also important to remember that not everyone likes the same sorts of things. A friend of mine would probably love a 20-point tour of a civil war battlefield, with a huge informational plaque at each stop, but not being a huge civil war history buff, I'd mainly just want to work up the next set of coords. -- math games vs puzzles vs straight coords to the next stage Math games are cool, as long as they don't take too much work. I cache with a clipboard, and usually have a calculator in the bag, but anything more than a bit of basic math and I start "dropping bits" and getting the coordinates wrong. I also enjoy a good non-math clue, as long as it can be done relatively quickly and easily in the field. -- virtual vs micro vs a mixture (in the stages leadng to the final cache) I guess the signs from "walkabout" would be considered virtuals, so I'll go with that. Micros are, well, micros. I've seen and had some micro-type clue markers disappear (they replaced the entire trailhead information kiosk!), so I'd have to say that basing the coordinate offsets on something permanent like a historical plaque, cornerstone, address, sign, etc. is the way to go. Something that isn't likely to go away on you. -- degree of difficulty (how hard do you like it?) See above. If you wouldn't want to stand there and do the puzzle in the rain, it might be a bit much. -- should the stages be ineresting spots, or are they just links in the chain Again, see above. Points of interest are also more obvious and more accurate than just spots. A dedication sign, statue, or even a utility pole with an ID number on it are all more definite locations than "the big grey rock next to the flowerbed". -- do you like to find all stages from one parking spot, or spread out with travel between stages This depends a lot on your next question. I generally like to work the whole thing at one shot, from a single parking place. Walkabout did require us to hop back in the car, but just once. -- length of time you prefer...1-2 hours vs a couple of days As I stated before, a couple of hours is good for me. This is especially applicable if the multi is confined to a square mile or less. If it's spread out over a few miles or even counties, a few days is acceptable (though after that kind of work, there'd better be a really fantastic location at the end of it!). This is really a sort of "best GPSr" question, as every cacher has their own preferances, and will give you different answers to your questions. These are my own. I should also note that I myself have been guilty of violating my own preferences in the placements of some of my caches. What you may like may not be what the general caching community that is likely to go hunting yours likes. I applaud you for asking for others' feelings in order to get a feel for popular opinion, but in the end, remember that these are just that - opinions. Have fun, and I wish you and your caches the best. (sorry about the length. Got a bit long-winded...)

Drat. -- Seamus W4TQI Tallahassee, Florida

Seems to me an excellent way to get whatever cache it goes into blown up. As others have mentioned, it's certainly not good public relations for a sport that needs all the good words it can get. Hopefully, they will reconsider their choice of bug and attach something a bit more appropriate.

<Foom.>

I've got a series of bugs, just about ready to release, that have something of an amateur radio theme. After a contact is made, hams often send "QSL cards" as proof of contact (for awards and such). I had an order of 1,000 cards printed up - their minimum order, and far more than I will be able to use before I move - with a nice picture on the front, etc. I'm hoping that by offering to send a card to whomever helps the TBs along, I'll have more logged finds (fewer "mystery hops"), and actually see some progress on my bugs. It's not really any more than a quick "thank you" to the finder, but hey - what else am I supposed to do with a box of a thousand post cards? -- Seamus W4TQI

Blerg. Foom.

Foom. Blerg.

Dollar store: Three-pack of block erasers and a little razor knife - $2. Scrap pile: Assorted bits of wood for handles - Free. Project box: A few drops of glue - Already had it. A couple of hours in front of the TV, and I had my first six sig stamps. Yeah, I know that you said you were lazy, but I was poor. As stated below though, there are many, many places that will custom-make stamps for you. Give them the artwork and you're shiny. -- Seamus W4TQI

Foom.