+Sparrowhawk Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 (edited) Hey all. A few days ago, these keys landed in my hands as a travel bug: This is the "Guanella Pass Keys (Ford)" travel bug. The TB's mission is: "It would be nice to get these keys back to their owner" These keys have been bouncing around the USA among various geocachers for about 2 years. I agree with the TB tag owner. It's time for these car keys to come back to the ORIGINAL original owner. Now... I know after 2 years, whoever lost these keys have probably gotten replacements and life has gone on for them. However I think it would be just a hoot to honestly find the original (car) owner - and let them know what kind of adventure their Ford keys have been on for the last several months. What I need are good brainstorming ideas on how to track down the first owner of these keys. I will post the progress of this mystery as it unfolds. Please post your ideas here, and together we may track down the very unsuspecting original owner! How fun is that? The keys were lost somewhere in Colorado. I'm in Oregon. I'll do whatever I can from Oregon to help locate the owner... what I need are you guy's brainpower for ideas to do just that. (re-edit to add link to bug) This TB's page The fun commences... (3...2...1...) now. Edited January 15, 2007 by Sparrowhawk Quote Link to comment
+J10fly Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Take the remote to the dealer. It's possible there is a serial # which is matched with the vehicle. (If the remote is straight from the factory) Jayman11 Quote Link to comment
+Sparrowhawk Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 Take the remote to the dealer. It's possible there is a serial # which is matched with the vehicle. (If the remote is straight from the factory) Oh, that's almost too easy! Sure, OK, I can do that this afternoon. I'll be back tomorrow and post a report. Quote Link to comment
+racalvert Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 (edited) <Smacks head> I found it on your profile. Well, here's the ref anyway: TBHCRD Hey could you post the reference number for this bug? I'd like to check it out. Is there a way to search by name? I didn't see it if there is. Thanks! Edited January 15, 2007 by racalvert Quote Link to comment
+Sparrowhawk Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 Hey could you post the reference number for this bug? I'd like to check it out. Is there a way to search by name? I didn't see it if there is. Whoops! My first post has been re-edited to add the link to the page. Annoying news: I just found out that I can't get out to the Ford dealership until around Wednesday or Thursday. When I get there, explaining this whole thing to the Ford people is gonna be really... well... either interesting or embarrassing... thinking about explaining to them how I got these keys in the first place...! Quote Link to comment
+txoilgas Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Hope that works, but my experience is that the service department can only track down a key if they have the vin number. I can not believe that the frequency or tone sequence is unique to only one car. I noticed that this TB has been going since 2004. Also the big key looks like it is a PO Box key or a safe deposit box key. Maybe you have a key to a hidden million dollars. Now if you can just figure out which bank it is hidden in. Quote Link to comment
+Rockin Roddy Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 (edited) might as well send them on their way again, I doubt much can be answered from those!! Edited January 21, 2007 by Rockin Roddy Quote Link to comment
+Trucker Lee Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 do any of the keys bear manufacturer and numbers? the round head key does resemble a po box key, but not the cuttings. also, postal keys bear a notice about not reproducing the key. is that there? Quote Link to comment
+Colorado Cacher Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 1. Black key=Ford ten-cut Ignition 2. Small=Padlock, or mailbox key.possibly an M1 or Hudson blank. 3. Is a custom "Bow" headed key appearing to be a Schlage keyway. 4. Appears to be a cheaply made safe deposit box type key, or for a low-cost fire safe even. It is similar to a real safe deposit box key but does appear to be a cheap copy. 5. As foir the reomote=Good luck! Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 A dealer is your best bet. The odds are against they can do it in reverse. Find the owner from a radio frequency or from the cut of the key. Some keys have chips in them that have to be in proximity to the igntion for the car to start. (I learned this when I had a key made. The duplicate would not start the car even though it turned the ignition. If I put the orginal near the duplicate it could start the car). The chip, the frequncy etc may not be unique but they may be unique enough if you knew where the keys originated. But it's still likely the dealer can't work in reverse. Quote Link to comment
+Woletrap Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 any updates? curiosity is gonna kill this cat! Quote Link to comment
+geocachingdragon Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Just Wondering Did you try contacting the original placer of the travel bug. Because I just send out a travel bug Called Honey Where on earth are my Keys?? Which is a Car key With out a home . I might start at the beginning to acually see if it trully is a mystery or just a fun way to get rid of unwanted keys. Quote Link to comment
+Super_Nate Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 See if you can include some sentence long updates on the travel bug page....I just added it to my watchlist. This is a very interesting Travel Bug. If they were my keys and I learned how they traveled around I would have a story to tell my friends for years to come. What a way to get introduced to Geocaching. If the travel bug has been going around for 2 years then the chance is increased that the owner of the keys doesn't own the car anymore and it could just be junk keys. Nonetheless it is interesting and I will be interested to follow up on this developing story. Quote Link to comment
+Sparrowhawk Posted February 17, 2007 Author Share Posted February 17, 2007 See if you can include some sentence long updates on the travel bug page....I just added it to my watchlist. This is a very interesting Travel Bug. If they were my keys and I learned how they traveled around I would have a story to tell my friends for years to come. What a way to get introduced to Geocaching. If the travel bug has been going around for 2 years then the chance is increased that the owner of the keys doesn't own the car anymore and it could just be junk keys. Nonetheless it is interesting and I will be interested to follow up on this developing story. Sorry that I have not been back to this thread recently. The keys were lost near Denver CO. Things I am thinking of doing: - Go find a Ford dealer and see if they have any ideas - Post a note on Denver's craigslist.com site - Contact a Denver newspaper reporter Quote Link to comment
+srt4guy Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 here's a bug i own. I QUIT!!! The guy pitched the key off the deck of the battleship midway into the pacific and went in to the gift shop bought a keychain of an airplane and it's on the way back to me. crazy. Tim Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 I'm sure it's been answered but, why not try to contact the owner of the bug through the bugs profile? Quote Link to comment
general_tupperware Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Contact a Denver newspaper reporter Hey, that would probably work. Provde a picture, and a description of geocaching, and this could likely make the paper. Of course that doesn't gaurentee that the person will read the paper, or hear about it ,but... Quote Link to comment
+Sparrowhawk Posted March 3, 2007 Author Share Posted March 3, 2007 (edited) OK... I thought I would have time to deal with this bug... turns out a whole lotta life stuff is getting in the way. If anyone wants to take over the investigation, I am willing to mail the bug directly to them. Just send me your snail-mail address in email. Edited March 3, 2007 by Sparrowhawk Quote Link to comment
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