ManD

Hey all !! GOOD NEWS !!!!! The people that picked up Elliot, had some personal issues that, of course, have to take priority !! They have responded to an email we sent, and have informed us that he is happy and safe with them. They have let us know that they intend to drop him back off at his original Hotel, Resort and Spa so he can continue his travels !! We have since responded to their email, and let them know that that is cool, or they can move him to another suitable cache, as his origin is in Chicago...and that cache might see less traffic now that it may be covered in snow !! They seem like VERY responsible cachers, and our faith in humanity has since been restored !! M an D

Yep, I joined the International Travel Bug Rescue League when I saw that !! GOOD NEWS though !!!!! The people that picked up Elliot, had some personal issues that, of course, take priority !! They have responded to an email we sent, and have informed us that he is happy and safe with them. They have let us know that they intend to drop him back off at the Hotel, Resort and Spa so he can continue his travels !! Certainly, a VERY happy ending to that tale !! Thanks everyone for all the great responces ! M an D BTW... I think an SAR group for TB's is a GREAT idea !! Can't wait to help out ASAP !! and yes, you think that some support from Groundspeak, or Geocaching.com would be helpful, and forthcoming. I am a DBA, and as such, would be VERY happy to assist !!

Thanks everyone ! We are trying to be patient. This IS our first bug ! It seems that Bugs gone missing is a common situation here. It also seems to us, that people hanging on to TB's has the potential to squash this aspect of the game. If a person invests say $5 for the tag, and another $3-5 for a toy, and sees nothing but failures, or at the very least a 75% failure rate, they might be less inclined to partake in this. Thoughts ? We know, it is just a game.... Still keeping a hopeful eye out for Elliot Moose though !

Hi all !! THIS is a GREAT idea !! A SAR group for TB's !! How cool !! We had no idea that this was such a prevalent problem. (as is evident by my post from last night...) So when we found this topic, we certainly felt the gravitational pull. We would LOVE to help repatriate some TB's !! I know that we are new cachers, and that we haven't been very active, (our spirit was pretty low after Elliot Moose TBKNGQ, went missing !) In finding this group, we have felt some renewed motivation. Perhaps there is hope... and it's cool to know that other people have had the same issues. So sign us up !! (we already did the Frapper! thing !) I am a DBA/ database developer, so I was thinking that a database to help track these rescues might be helpful. Let me know if anyone else thinks this is a good idea. And if we can be of any help in the SW USA, let us know... ManD

Thanks for the replies !! (and the advice !!) The person that picked up th TB has been a member since Jan. 05 and hasn't been on since Nov 16. We are patient and hopeful, but getting more doubtful each day. I just wondered how often this happens, and if anyone has maybe had one go missing, and it returned (or not ). We are, after all, collecting stories here right... not just little green army men and jacks. Thanks for your posts.

Wow, great thread !! Lots of good advice. One half of ManD is male, the other, happily, not. Being the male half, I will say this... It's a dangerouse wolrd out there, and you cannot pick the time or the place when that danger might cross your path. Be it a 4 legged predator or 2, in the woods or in the dark shadows of a parking lot where some cache is hidden. I've seen a lot of discussion about the 2 legged variety, and none about the 4. Here in AZ we have large cats and some bears. In Phx we have all manner of 2 legged creeps, as in most urban areas. When caching at night, I carry a cell phone, my trusty Glock and a flashlight with fresh batteries. I have heard a lot here about SA (Situation Awareness). It is of course primary. If things get bad, with good SA, you can hopefully be able to anticipate the situation some. Another thing I have not heard on this topic though is this... ALWAYS let someone know WHERE you are going, and WHEN you expect to return. And then let them know that you HAVE indeed returned when you do. Leave them instructions to alert the athorities that something is amiss, if you have not returned in, say, a hour ??, after your intended return. At least that way, if a tree does fall on you in the woods, someone can come and help. There my 2 pennys worth.

We were just starting to get into this whole GeoCaching thing, so we thought we would try a TB. We set one up, a pretty cool little story... Elliot Moose...TBKNGQ. We placed him in a Cache in Chicago, and he was picked up, apparetntly that day (it's hard to figure out based on the log). It's been almost a month now, and the person that picked him up hasn't logged anything, or even responded to a question I sent in email. Here's my question... How often does this kind of thing happen ? Can we consider him "Bugnapped" ? I realize that it's all fun and games here, but we were really hoping to se some activity with our first bug, and it has kind of left a bad taste in my mouth for the whole thing. Are we over reacting ? Is this common ? Please advise... Thanks. ManD