+Fidissimus Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Okay maybe some more experienced geocaching folks out there have some good advice or words of wisdom to share. I started caching in late spring and was really excited to get my first travel bug out there. I dropped him off in a cache and he was picked up the next day. Well that was on 6/25. The cacher who took him still has him. I e-mailed the guy a couple of times but never got a response. I'm not sure if it's "stolen" because he noted it's in his posession and he's got 8 TB's of his own, so you'd think he'd get it. Plus you can check when the last time someone logged into their account here - which he did last Friday. So I know he didn't slip off the face of the planet. I'm just frustrated! What do you do when someone picks up your TB and then just hangs on to it? Quote Link to comment
+AuntieWeasel Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 What do you do when someone picks up your TB and then just hangs on to it? Sigh heavily and decide whether you want to keep playing the Travel Bug game. If you've contacted him, that's about as much as you can do. There's some chance he'll kick it loose later, so it's probably better not to get nasty. You could keep it up with the periodic polite notes, though. Stalling TB's is not uncommon and I won't tell you it doesn't suck. Because it does. It sucks like a Hoover. But even when people play along, these things don't move often and seldom do anything great. I really had to have ten or so in play before it got interesting. I suppose for we masochists, this makes the times they DO do something interesting especially sweet. Quote Link to comment
+Eartha Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 What you have here is a TB picked up by a cacher who only caches once in a while, but does cache. They only have 61 finds since 2001, 5 of which were events, so that give you 56 actual caches hunted. That's about 11.2 caches per year. Maybe they do one a month, maybe they do three in a month and then none for 3 months, I didn't look into that far. But just because they visited the site, doesn't mean they went out caching. This type of cacher I would be patient with, send a nice email thanking them for picking up your TB, and ask them if they have plans for it soon. Also read the pinned threads up top about longevity and stuff. Some TB's come back from the dead years later. You never know. Quote Link to comment
180° Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Here is what happened. (maybe) He picked up your TB A day or two later he went and did some more caches. (yipee) He dropped you bug off in one of them (just what you wanted) Now he don't remember which one. He doesn't want to look like a fool and drop it in the wrong one. He's not about to go back to the same caches he just found to check. He will just wait and see if someone "grabs" it from him to fix his boo-boo. Your option is to visit every cache he has been to and see if it is there and then email every one who has been to those caches since he was there and you checked and then check every cache that they went to in the last week, etc. or just chill. You left it in a cache. You should have said goodbye to it then. Quote Link to comment
+AuntieWeasel Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 You left it in a cache. You should have said goodbye to it then. Man, I don't know which I hate more: people who mistreat my stuff, or people who insist I'm an idiot for caring when people mistreat my stuff. Quote Link to comment
+the hermit crabs Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 You left it in a cache. You should have said goodbye to it then. Man, I don't know which I hate more: people who mistreat my stuff, or people who insist I'm an idiot for caring when people mistreat my stuff. (And why does that kind of thing only seem to be said about travel bugs? "You put it out in public, you should expect it to get stolen or lost" -- but not about caches? ) Quote Link to comment
+ADK 46-R Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 thats what sucks, if you have a really nice item you want to make into a bug, the nicer the item the better chance you have of never seeing it again...sigh... Quote Link to comment
+Fidissimus Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 Okay, lesson learned. Don't make anything "nice" into a travel bug... I guess I'm out the $15 on this one. However I won't let it deter me from releasing more, I'll just have to be more creative with what kind of TB I release. It should be interesting but not valuable or desirable - now that's a challenge! By the way all my communication with individual was very polite and kind (you always catch more flies with honey than vinegar) and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt - my e-mails might have just been dumped into his junk-mail folder and he may have never even seen them. I came here to express how I was really feeling... 180 - he hasn't logged any new caches since picking up this bug (that I'm aware of - haven't checked recently, but otherwise a good thought). Personally I also I think your comment, "You left it in a cache. You should have said goodbye to it then." is off base. I wouldn't put a pot of plants on my front porch and "expect" them to be stolen because they aren't under lock and key. I guess I don't want to assume that any TB I put out there will be stolen just because it's in a cache (even if this is occasionally the reality). Auntie - you're the best! Quote Link to comment
+geowoodstock Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 It does really suck having a travel bug being held by someone for a long period of time, be it 1 week or even 1 year. But wait until the cache your bug is in is MIA. I was actually heart broken over my $2 TB when the cache was destroyed. Talk about depressed!! I eventually "buried" it in a Travel Bug Graveyard (places to put your TB when things like this happen)! Even though it has been over a year, I haven't gotten over it yet, but when I do, I plan on using the copy of the TB tag to send another bug in it's place. By the way, I also have a TB that has been in someone's hands for about 15 months now!! Very frustrating!! Just keep your feelings in mind when you pick up someone's TB and remember to try and place in another cache in a timely manner so they wont be having to write you a polite note!! PS: As a TB owner, I love to have pics of my TB seeing different sites and trying new things! Therefore I try to do the same for bugs I pick up!! See the gallery Lone Star Pokey TB for some funny pics!! (I don't know how to put the link here!) Quote Link to comment
+5¢ Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Looks like your bug has moved. Quote Link to comment
+Fidissimus Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 YEA! That's so funny that you'd know that before I did... well maybe he came here and saw my post - "oh boo-hoo poor me...waaa, waaa, waaa...." lol And I'm a camera hound so of course I always take loads of photo's when I can. I've moved a few bugs along and always try to take pictures of them on their "adventures"... Geowoodstock - is the Travel Bug Graveyard virtual - something though this site? Or just something you do to commemorate the "life and death" of your TB's? Sorry about the 15 months - that's rough. LSP is a Gumby! Yea! That's really fun! Love the "Ahh, Much Better" picture... For anyone interested in checking it out go to Lone Star Pokey's Page Thanks again everyone for your nice thoughts and words! I guess I got myself all riled up for nothin'... Quote Link to comment
+hndlbr Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 one of my tb's was missing from action for a year. It turned out that the cacher went down to help with katrina victoms and when he returned he put it back out and I was able to get it back to Pa.and it is now in my possession. You just never know why it has been held. Quote Link to comment
+Fish Below The Ice Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Geowoodstock - is the Travel Bug Graveyard virtual - something though this site? Or just something you do to commemorate the "life and death" of your TB's? GC72A8 Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Geowoodstock - is the Travel Bug Graveyard virtual - something though this site? Or just something you do to commemorate the "life and death" of your TB's? GC72A8 Yep, this was the old method for 'removing' travel bugs. gc.com came up with 'mark as missing' as a better solution. Quote Link to comment
+Fidissimus Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 More effective? Yes.... but it doesn't have quite the same feel as the graveyard. Quote Link to comment
+geowoodstock Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Sorry for the long delay in responding. Thanks for the link dabhid07. I actually put my TB in the UK one (GCD653) for more sentimental reasons! Marking the TB missing really isn't the same. The next one that come's up missing, I might just mark it, but the first one had to have some kind of closure!! It is good to know that option is there, though. Congrats on your bug moving along and hopefully it will have a pleasant journey from here on out!! Quote Link to comment
180° Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 (edited) I think some of you mis-understood my comments. I am not being cynical and trying to harden you to the harsh world outside your doors. On the contrary. My statement about "saying goodbye" to it is my philosophy about life in general. In other words, don't get too hung up on material things. Enjoy life for the experience it brings and don't judge your success on how much or how many. Every day when I leave the house, I say goodbye to it. I know I worked hard at building the place and take pride in that. But if something happens and I return to a pile of charred cinders, I know I still have my family, friends and memories. So look forward to the adventures of your TB's, but if they turn up missing, shrug it off and start over. I always move bugs. And I always leave a nice interesting story. If you like to see your TB's move around, I am your best friend. Phil Okay, lesson learned. Don't make anything "nice" into a travel bug... I guess I'm out the $15 on this one. However I won't let it deter me from releasing more, I'll just have to be more creative with what kind of TB I release. It should be interesting but not valuable or desirable - now that's a challenge! By the way all my communication with individual was very polite and kind (you always catch more flies with honey than vinegar) and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt - my e-mails might have just been dumped into his junk-mail folder and he may have never even seen them. I came here to express how I was really feeling... 180 - he hasn't logged any new caches since picking up this bug (that I'm aware of - haven't checked recently, but otherwise a good thought). Personally I also I think your comment, "You left it in a cache. You should have said goodbye to it then." is off base. I wouldn't put a pot of plants on my front porch and "expect" them to be stolen because they aren't under lock and key. I guess I don't want to assume that any TB I put out there will be stolen just because it's in a cache (even if this is occasionally the reality). Auntie - you're the best! Edited August 31, 2006 by 180° Quote Link to comment
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