brad.32

I almost didn't vote because of that god-stuff, but it's geocaching, so I let that part win.

I just voted 9 times and HAD tied it up, but I see things are moving. When does the voting end?

You're right, this isn't the complaint dept and I should keep my opinions to myself.

The main site is http://www.ny-geocaching.org/cannonballrun/index.php The stats and position map are linked in.

Cool bazzle Lots of painting details. Are the rest of the entrants going to post pictures of their racers?

This "new" one has an instruction tag (in addition to the metal tag) that says something similar to the web page description about the traveling preference. It's not phrased as a demand. I don't expect people to read the web page. I've learned that already. Because TBs go MIA, I consider traveling by-ground, cross country a fairly difficult goal. It's difficult to survive that long. In this case, "done" refers to finishing this long trek.

Argh. It happened AGAIN. Another one of my ground-traveling bugs is almost done due to flying. Oh well.

Your log for the cache shows that you dropped off the TB. Where did you get it from? Did you log it out of the other cache that it came from? The logs in the other cache might have the last person that placed it and you could contact them about it, because it would be in their found TB list.

I've been working on that, bazzle... The race web page has been updated with the start and the destination caches. EELBOY's 1st Event Cache! (GCHB3D) is going to be the release cache for the race. He is going to add info about the race in the cache description. The destination cache will be As Seen From the Sky! (GCC32A). Getting closer.

That is a great idea. YAY! Sparky had something positive to add that someone else actually liked! Or were you just being sarcastic? That's ok, I can take sarcasm...really <sniffle> I can.....I'll leave now <sniffle>....it's snowing and blowing a blizzard outside, but I'll be fine....<sniffle> I posted a reply about this, but it was during my probation period after the warning, so those posts were a waste of time, anyway... Yes, I thought it was a good idea, however, it is/was against the forum guidelines, so it wasn't really a good idea in the bigger scheme of things. Meanwhile, the awards for the race have been fleshed out on the race web page. I don't know what the awards were for the Cannonball Run (for perspective), so I made up something.

Try it again. Are you using the tracking number (6 digits) or, incorrectly, the reference number (TBxxxx)? Never post the tracking number in the forums or on the bug's page (in text or picture). A couple weeks for placement is normal. A month or two will ... make the owner unhappy.

My bug is ready, whether he is allowed to actually win a prize is questionable, but he's going to be in the race... http://www.geocaching.com/track/track_detail.asp?ID=53229

Some time back I started a thread about construction materials related to durability, partly because of the bagging issue. Zip bags don't hold up well in caches and the situation is worse with cachers carrying them in backpacks, etc. My bugs are made out of materials that should hold up, more or less, outdoors. That's one reason I don't send plush toys. I also put instruction tags on my bugs and will do others if it's okay with the owner. Gargoyle has nice tags and there are other examples out there. The goal info on mine is non-specific so it's changeable through the web page. I once found one of mine that someone had helpfully added a tag to with it's current goal. The problem is, that bug has a changing goal. The goals are going to be updated on the bug's page as it travels. Taking pictures of bugs and posting them is also a nice addition because some people release their bugs without a picture as part of the description.

Yes, I liked the idea.... the moderator(s) of the other forums didn't. That type of posting is considered spam, so I received a warning for it.

That is a great idea. I just made a post in each of the US regional forums. It doesn't sound like there are too many TBers in other countries across the Ponds, from the posts about tag access, so I'm not going to post in all those. I don't think there would be much interest in a CONUS race there. Edited to add... honeychile: Is that sort of flooding/cross posting allowed? Seriously. Edited to add... Nevermind, I've been warned and told it's not allowed.

Over in the Travel Bug forum, I recently started a thread for a new race, but wanted the regional groups to be aware of it. The First CircumConUS Travel Bug Race Please don't discuss it here, but go there if you're interested in a TB race.

Over in the Travel Bug forum, I recently started a thread for a new race, but wanted the regional groups to be aware of it. The First CircumConUS Travel Bug Race Please don't discuss it here, but go there if you're interested in a TB race.

Over in the Travel Bug forum, I recently started a thread for a new race, but wanted the regional groups to be aware of it. The First CircumConUS Travel Bug Race Please don't discuss it here, but go there if you're interested in a TB race.

It was clear to me Sparky. On another note (saving posts since y'all are probably getting tired of my globular cluster avatar)... So far the only people who know about this race are the people who frequent the forums and people they might have told. If I made a GC event then more people would be aware, but they would only be local to the event (SF Bay Area). How are people from around the country, continent (e.g., more Canadians), and world to be pulled into it? ... without expanding the race course to include the world.

I don't want to keep track of a bunch of different starting and stopping points and the logistics of multiple people retrieving the finished bugs. That's why the track comes back to the Bay Area. Nobody was interested in collecting at another end. People might recycle bugs so mileage from the start of the race would have to be tracked, but that would be easy offset to apply at the end, but starts and stops from multiple locations would be a logistical mess. Unless you enter a railroad spike (there are several of these TBs), the postage shouldn't be bad. If you think it will be fun, then enter Any "vehicle" / hitchhiker or just the tag will do. (Not much character in just a tag though.)

Everybody is welcome join the race, you just have to get the bugs to me on time (by New Years). Sorry, but the race is already long, adding stops in Canada would make it longer and would probably push the race into next winter. Maybe next year someone can propose a race that includes Devon Island and Huixla That would probably take two years.

I changed the wording of rule 3 to clarify interference: "After the start, no TB racer owners can handle ANY of the racers. The actions of third parties are not under the owners' control. They have a long race to run, so negative interference is not encouraged. Please be considerate and fair to the racers and help them on the way." There's not much else to be done. Cachers will do what they want to do. As Sparky wrote when he started this long-winded discussion , it would be hard to prove intentional negative interference. I asked in the Cannonball Run how much interference that race actually had. I've never followed the progress of a bug that I thought I would go hunt for, but finding a particular bug and grabbing it as it passes through seems like a difficult thing to manage with the random movements.

Interference is something that was encouraged in the Cannonball Run. How much interference did the TBs actually get during the race?

Google translation tools http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en I used it to translate a tag to Italian and ran it past an Italian and he said google did a good job with it. Giotto the bell has two instruction tags, assuming the Italian one might be handy in Italy.