Travel bugs & long distance legs

[BoostJunkie]

I am pretty new to geocaching, but I find myself baffled at how some TB goals seem to be just plain ignored. Last night I was browsing around through trackable items and one in particular caught my attention. I don't recall the specific TB, but its goal was to travel from San Diego, CA to Kentucky to be seen (and I assume logged or collected) by the owners brother or some such. Its travel history was pretty much on track all the way to Tennessee through loads of caches, then someone took it for a long ride the wrong way to NM, and the next leg was to OR. The TB was never logged in any caches in KY. Doesn't it make sense to just check the TB goals before hauling it off for a 1000 mile leg? It does to me, am I being too hopeful that a TB will ever attain its goal when I send one out into the world? Are the majority of cachers just clueless to what seems to me to be the obvious?

 

Also, another thing I noticed in a cache log just today. Someone logged, Left - TB xxxxx (not his TB), Took - signature coin (it sounded like a nice one, non trackable I guess). Now, who out there thinks that transfering a TB from one cache to another merits taking swag, let alone a signature coin? Anyone have any idea what the ratio of responsible cachers vs looters is?

 

I just can't understand why it is so hard for people to follow some simple guidelines is all. Am I being too idealistic?

 

I suppose it's just best for me not to dwell on stuff like this and go out and geocache with the implied "good guy" creedo as my guide, have fun, and try to ignore the negatives.

[Neos2]

Also, another thing I noticed in a cache log just today. Someone logged, Left - TB xxxxx (not his TB), Took - signature coin (it sounded like a nice one, non trackable I guess). Now, who out there thinks that transfering a TB from one cache to another merits taking swag, let alone a signature coin?

Many coins are also travelers, similar to TBs. In fact, it's rare around here to find a coin in a cache that isn't meant to travel.

[Keystone]

Moving from Geocaching Topics to the Travel Bug forum. I thought about being cute and putting the thread in the Belgium Forum first, but ultimately I decided to honor its goal sheet.

[+BlueDeuce]

I am pretty new to geocaching, but I find myself baffled at how some TB goals seem to be just plain ignored.

 

Unfortunately it's not an uncommon complaint.

 

I always release my bugs with a laminated instruction sheet (luggage tag size), but even that’s not a guarantee.

 

Also, I tend not to have a directional type mission for my bugs. That way I only fret about it getting stuck in a difficult cache or stolen, instead of fretting about it getting off-track, or stuck in a difficult cache or stolen.

[BoostJunkie]

Moving from Geocaching Topics to the Travel Bug forum. I thought about being cute and putting the thread in the Belgium Forum first, but ultimately I decided to honor its goal sheet.

 

D'oh!

 

.

[widgit]

I am new to geochaching so my experience is limited. I've found TB's without any direction info so I need to take them back to the computer to check on the goal and history. By that time it isn't feasible to return it to the same cache so I just move it to the next cache I find.

 

P.S. I am looking for the 'web page' that has the TB's and the total miles they have traveled. Found it once but cannot locate it again.

Edited April 20, 2007 by widgit

[+BlueDeuce]

I am new to geocaching so my experience is limited. I've found TB's without any direction info so I need to take them back to the computer to check on the goal and history. By that time it isn't feasible to return it to the same cache so I just move it to the next cache I find.

 

Then that's what you have to do. Some movement can be better than none.

 

P.S. I am looking for the 'web page' that has the TB's and the total miles they have traveled. Found it once but cannot locate it again.

 

Are you referring to a specific TB?

 

TB's in general?

http://www.geocaching.com/track/

 

Or perhaps some special race/tracking data?