+Tim & June Posted April 15, 2002 Share Posted April 15, 2002 Just found out that Gulliver bear has been placed in a cache at 'Grand Central Station' in Los Angeles. Before you all sigh and wander off, this is a special cache with a special purpose which I think is brilliant. The cacher who came up with the idea was J-Man. He has placed the cache at a location which is very close to L.A. airport and it's main rail link. The idea is a sort of lay-over for Travellers and Travel Bugs who want to get out of the country. That way, someone visiting LA or leaving LA can stop by the cache and pick up or drop off a traveller. Well done J-Man. I think we should have one near every airport in the UK. Anyone else have any thoughts on this ? Tim & June (Winchester) To cache, or not to cache. That is the question ! Oh to hell with the work. Quote Link to comment
+Slytherin Posted April 15, 2002 Share Posted April 15, 2002 All the fuss about Gulliver being kidnapped, and it turns out that he's been out on the pi*s in LA all this time. On the subject of airport caches, I made a similar suggestion a while back about having a cache near airports that people can go and do if they have time before/after/between flights. Didn't get very much support at the time. There's a couple of likely looking woods within walking distance of Leeds/Bradford airport and I hereby nominate page28 to go plant one in there I was going to do it myself but i've got oodles of college work to do. Over to you Richard. Alex. Quote Link to comment
Ben Pid Posted April 15, 2002 Share Posted April 15, 2002 Yes I think this is a good idea. It would make Travel Bugs travel abroad easier. I am going to Germany from Stansted airport in a few months I'll place a cache near on the way. Pid x WESTSIDE RESPEK! Lets get the party started! xxxx Quote Link to comment
+Tim & June Posted April 15, 2002 Author Share Posted April 15, 2002 Because the idea of these caches is just as a layover/stopover/pickup/dropoff point, the will probably need lots of space in them for lots of bugs. Therefore I suggest we follow J-Man's lead and only leave a logbook in them (other than bugs of course). It might be a good idea if they all had the same type of name too, for instance 'Heathrow Travel Exchange' or 'Heathrow Bug Hotel' or 'Heathrow Taxi Rank' etc. (swapping Heathrow for the name of the airport of course). This idea would make them easier to recognise on the cache lists and would make them easier to find on the Geocaching.com listings because you could do a search by keyword. If this idea were to catch on globally ... Tim & June (Winchester) To cache, or not to cache. That is the question ! Oh to hell with the work. Quote Link to comment
LazyLeopard Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 The tricky bit is finding an accessible location at which to hide a cache within sane walking distance of the airport in question that isn't going to attract untoward attention from airport security... I work in an office less than ten minutes' walk from Gatwick South terminal. At the moment I can't think of a good spot in the area that is accessible to the public, unlikely to be discovered by accident, and safe from causing security concerns, but I'll keep my eyes open. How far away from the airport would be too far? Purrs... LazyLeopard http://www.lazyleopard.org.uk Quote Link to comment
Runemaster Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 I hate to put a dampener on things... but has anyone thought about "ARE YOU CARRYING ANYTHING FOR ANYONE?" Possible sticky situations could arise when you put a box full of toys etc all waiting to go abroad to specific destinations. I think I would be slightly sceptical... just a thought... Quote Link to comment
+page28 Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Kimrobin: There's a couple of likely looking woods within walking distance of Leeds/Bradford airport and I hereby nominate page28 to go plant one in there I was going to do it myself but i've got oodles of college work to do. Over to you Richard. Alex. Ok I'm game for putting one close to LBA I have been toying with the idea of a cache close to the airport so an exchange cache sounds ok. It's tricky about how far in time terms would be a good distance. Time to scout around Quote Link to comment
+Slytherin Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 quote:Originally posted by page28: It's tricky about how far in time terms would be a good distance. Time to scout around Looking at the OS104, there's a public footpath that runs off the end of the long stay car park. Or a little further down the road from the airport towards Horsforth, there's a likely looking path that starts at N53 52.231 W1 38.818. I've got a bunch of travellers that I brought back from the States last week that need to go travelling. Huddersfield looks favourite ofr a couple of those though. Alex. Quote Link to comment
+page28 Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 Looking at the OS104, there's a public footpath that runs off the end of the long stay car park. Or a little further down the road from the airport towards Horsforth, there's a likely looking path that starts at N53 52.231 W1 38.818. couple of those though. Alex. Just grabbed map centred on se2139 ( trailguage ) down by moor side and none go bye look ok (se237418), I mailed you se217398 as a possible one. I will have to go out for a walk this evening Quote Link to comment
JasonW Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Monz: I hate to put a dampener on things... but has anyone thought about "ARE YOU CARRYING ANYTHING FOR ANYONE?" An extremely good point. Quote Link to comment
+page28 Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 I take your point about carrying something for somebody else but how else would a bug get out of the country....... You have to trust some one at some point Quote Link to comment
el10t Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 You could argue that while a TB is in your possession it is effectively "yours". So when you carry one out of the country you are not carrying it on behalf of anyone else, you are carrying it on behalf of yourself. Noone has asked you to carry the bug - you are doing so by choice. No problem. ----------- el10t mobilis in mobili Quote Link to comment
LazyLeopard Posted April 16, 2002 Share Posted April 16, 2002 quote:but has anyone thought about "ARE YOU CARRYING ANYTHING FOR ANYONE?"Yep. If I've accepted something to take on a journey then I'm carrying it for me. On occasions when I'm asked to carry stuff on flights I always check what I'm asked to carry closely first. If I'm even slightly suspiscious then it doesn't go. With a TB I'd want to be absolutely 100% confident it was exactly what it appeared to be, and it'd also have to be extremely lightweight. No garden gnomes (likely too heavy), soft toys (could be stuffed with something illegal) or the like Purrs... LazyLeopard http://www.lazyleopard.org.uk Quote Link to comment
+Tim & June Posted April 16, 2002 Author Share Posted April 16, 2002 Ok, This has wandered just a little from the topic. I guess I will make a comment about the possibility of travellers being used as a covert courier though. Yes, I guess there is a potential, but, many bugs go missing and they are therefore a very unreliable method of transport. Anything worth smuggling from one country to another is likely to be valuable in some form. I think Geocachers are quite safe. Anyway, back to the subject : If the cache container has just a logbook and pen there would be space for lots of bugs. Each bug in the cache is likely to have a different goal therefore the logs on the cache page and in the logook should declare the goal of that TB. There is no point someone turning up to the cache on their way to a flight to Italy and picking up a bug who's goal was to reach the USA for example. As far as distance from the airport is concerned, this is a little more difficult. At Heathrow airport for example, walking off the airport grounds would probably take a good half hour, but there are fields etc within a few minutes drive. I guess that many will be arriving/leaving by car. What about the cache names? If we can agree a standard type of name, perhaps others around the world will follow suit, therefore making the system a little easier to use. Tim & June (Winchester) To cache, or not to cache. That is the question ! Oh to hell with the work. Quote Link to comment
+page28 Posted April 17, 2002 Share Posted April 17, 2002 I know this is off topic but, it is related.. I was out looking to place a suitable Travel bug hotel around Leeds/Bradford Airport (LBA). One of the paths through one the woods (the ref is se231426)ran very close to where some one has set up a Clay Shoot and there were lots of clay pigeons (brocken and whole)around the path. I would have thought this was illegal any one know any pertanent rules on shooting and public footpaths? Quote Link to comment
+Richard & Beth Posted April 17, 2002 Share Posted April 17, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Tim & June: As far as distance from the airport is concerned, this is a little more difficult. At Heathrow airport for example, walking off the airport grounds would probably take a good half hour, but there are fields etc within a few minutes drive. I guess that many will be arriving/leaving by car. In terms of Heathrow, the idea of placing it near the rail link for the airport, as for LA seems like a good one, for example you could hide it near to an underground station, or perhaps close to Paddington Station. (Which shows the visitors the half decent Heathrow Express trains rather than the clunky 1970's vintage Picadilly line trains!) In terms of places, Little Venice springs to mind as a nice spot to take people to from the airport, assuming there is somewhere suitable to safely hide a cache. Richard Quote Link to comment
el10t Posted April 17, 2002 Share Posted April 17, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Tim & June:What about the cache names? If we can agree a standard type of name, perhaps others around the world will follow suit, therefore making the system a little easier to use. I think "Heathrow Bug Hotel" or "Whatever Bug Hotel" is the best - its a bit more than a taxi rank because the bug might have to reside there for quite a while before being picked up. ----------- el10t mobilis in mobili Quote Link to comment
+David & Di Posted April 17, 2002 Share Posted April 17, 2002 quote:Originally posted by page28: I take your point about carrying something for somebody else but how else would a bug get out of the country....... You have to trust some one at some point I'm sorry but as far as this goes I trust no one. The problem is that this activity falls into the category that attracts people who could and WILL misuse it and they aren’t involving me. I for one am unprepared to take a risk with my, my families, and other people lives around issues that could cover terrorism or drugs trafficking David PS I deliver drugs education as part of my living and am aware of how people get hooked in, and yes it can happen to you. Quote Link to comment
el10t Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 I'm not sure how many drugs, explosives, nuclear warheads, etc could be hidden in the travel bugs I have seen - they seem to be small plastic toys and the like. You could always examine them in minute detail before deciding whether to "take the risk" or not if you were worried. On the other issue, I still vote for the "Insertlocationhere Bug Hotel" option for the name. ----------- el10t mobilis in mobili Quote Link to comment
+page28 Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 David, This is tounge in cheek so don't take offence.... Going by your statement ,I am surprised that you take the risk to open any cache box, it could be a bomb as lazy leaopard said With a TB I'd want to be absolutely 100% confident it was exactly what it appeared to be, and it'd also have to be extremely lightweight. No garden gnomes (likely too heavy), soft toys (could be stuffed with something illegal) or the like If you don't like the look of it, don't take it... Anyway Back to topic . I like the 'XXXXX Bug Hotel' name scheme. Should we set up a vote ? [This message was edited by page28 on April 18, 2002 at 03:02 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+Lost in Space Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 I think the whole idea is far too dangerous. It would only take one terrorist to start the fake manufacture of travel bugs out of enriched plutonium, and for enough of those fake bugs to end up in one cache together to reach critical mass................................. Quote Link to comment
+kennamatic Posted April 18, 2002 Share Posted April 18, 2002 There can also be the embarrasment factor. My other half once went to Ireland and took a bag load of stuffed toys with her. The security people put it through an x-ray machine and she had the embarrasment of everyone looking at an outline of her bag with loads of beady eyes and noses and faint bear shapes looking out from the display. Luckily Ireland doesn't have a large black market in bears so there were no really awkward questions to answer. Finding your caches - Losing my marbles. Quote Link to comment
Runemaster Posted April 19, 2002 Share Posted April 19, 2002 Travel Bugs = Dog Tags Wonder if they would want to have a look? Quote Link to comment
waters Posted April 19, 2002 Share Posted April 19, 2002 I think the best chance of this working is mainly with people who travel for thier job, As people rushing for planes seldom have time for anything. Hotel carparks frequently have some green / bush area's planting somthing there on a stopover would make it easy for a cachieralso on a stop, to find and transport out e.g The Narita cache is a good example of how to move stuff around , yep a brill idea Quote Link to comment
+The Wombles Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 I set a new cache near Heathrow this afternoon: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=20547 It's called "Heathrow Bug Hotel" and it's just outside Heathrow boundary because of the security implications (we didn't think it would last very long inside Heathrow or at the hotels given the regular security sweeps). The Bug Hotel is an excellent idea and we certainly need them at all the major airports. [This message was edited by Dave & Nicky on April 22, 2002 at 02:52 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+page28 Posted May 4, 2002 Share Posted May 4, 2002 I have just put out LBA Bug Hotel, Will be open for travellers once it's approved. web page This location was my site B choice. My site A has just had another planning application posted, so I decided that there would be a good chance it might get discovered. If any of you locals want to check my site A here is the location n53 52.186 w001 38.907 It was to be under the flat flag ontop the wall...by the footpath post Quote Link to comment
+The Wombles Posted May 17, 2002 Share Posted May 17, 2002 A passing visitor spent an afternoon travelling from Gatwick to place a bug (watch out T&J, its the Texas racing spoon in competiton with yours). The details are here: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=20547 Anyone fancy placing a Gatwick Bug hotel? Quote Link to comment
+Tim & June Posted May 17, 2002 Author Share Posted May 17, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Dave & Nicky: A passing visitor spent an afternoon travelling from Gatwick to place a bug (watch out T&J, its the Texas racing spoon in competiton with yours). The details are here: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=20547 Anyone fancy placing a Gatwick Bug hotel? We saw the same log and June and I have agreed that Gatwick needs one at least as much as Heathrow. We had discussed going there before next week-end if time permits (going to the Northern Cache bash this weekend). If anyone already has one planned for Gatwick please let us know (or post here) to save doubling up on the effort. Dave & Nicky: The spoon is in a race with Brittania Bear who is being placed in the Heathrow Bug Hotel This weekend. So they will actually be in the same cache together ! I guess Webling is going to win this race. Have to say thats ok by us, he lost two before they even left their first cache. Tim & June (Winchester) To cache, or not to cache. That is the question ! Oh to hell with the work. Quote Link to comment
+Richard & Beth Posted May 18, 2002 Share Posted May 18, 2002 I was about to suggest that using Meridian Snake would be good, as the cache is so big, however having looked at it nobody has found it since March and it seems that it may have been removed. Is anyone associated with Project Ape in contact with the person from Fox in London who placed it who can say whether they removed it? If they have no plans to replace it we could put a cache around that spot again, as it would be a shame to let that view go to waste. Plus it has easy access to the M25, and is pretty close to Gatwick too. Regards, Richard Quote Link to comment
LazyLeopard Posted May 18, 2002 Share Posted May 18, 2002 Yeah, go ahead! I work at Gatwick (but not in the Airport) and had been meaning to get out a map of the area and try to figure out where to put a bug hotel, but I'm short on round tuits at the moment. I stand half a chance of being able to keep an eye on a cache there though. The Meridian Snake ammo box wasn't in it's place last time I checked, but I havn't been back recently to have a good look round in case someone just "re-located" it. Purrs... LazyLeopard http://www.lazyleopard.org.uk Quote Link to comment
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