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Race Through America 2004

raceamerica

By raceamerica
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tobsas

+tobsas

Posted
Posted

Hello from Berti's owners in Germany,

 

there's a nice side effect of his journey through so many states: we are now able to name many more US states than before this race. I doubt one of us would have been able to find for example Iowa on the map - we now can! ;-)

It seems we won't have the chance to fly over to the US this year so we like to see Berti travel instead. Thanks a lot to WaldenRun and Mountain_Wanderer who helped Berti on his way so far. Hopefully all the other racers will be treated in such a good way, too, and be moved soon to many states and interesting places.

 

Greetings from Europe,

Saskia and Tobias (tobsas)

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geojed

geojed

Posted
Posted
Early this morning I sent an email to the cache owner, the new TB finder, and the old TB finder to confirm the drop and retrieval of geojed's racer, but no response from anyone yet.

 

... it was the first TB find for both of the finders.

Thanks ....I think

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Snoogans

+Snoogans

Posted
Posted
WooHoo!!! My bug just kicked the afterburners thanks to JNJ Walla!!!

 

Sn :D:huh: gans

Weeeeeehehehellll NOW! I looks like JNJ Walla knocked out 5 really big states for me. HA! I gave 'em my travel plan from last year.

 

Time to rack up a buncha teeny Eastern States.

 

Sn B):D gans

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raceamerica

raceamerica

Posted
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Whats going on my state map page says that i havent gone to alaska Ithink ak and hawaii are screwed up because haulin caches map is screwed up

I cleaned up the line work on all the maps (copy/paste) yesterday, which involved some repainting of the visited states, while trying to keep up with ALL of JNJ Walla's logs of Turn N Burn. I missed a couple states. I won't be doing that again.

 

Berti's map was missing Iowa too, but all the maps are correct now.

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raceamerica

raceamerica

Posted
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Posted (edited)
My travel bug is in colorado  :sad: but hasnt been logged yet  :lol:

journey across america was placed in a Colorado cache, so the first, unlogged one is not as important now, and the "journey" list now has two states... and its map too :blink:

Edited by raceamerica
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bazzle

+bazzle

Posted
Posted

What about a mileage ranking? There is good listings of number of caches and most creative, but I think it would be cool to see where the bugs stand in mileage without having to look at each bug's page. That and I think Haulin Cache may have a bit of a lead here :blink:

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raceamerica

raceamerica

Posted
  • Author
Posted
What about a mileage ranking? There is good listings of number of caches and most creative, but I think it would be cool to see where the bugs stand in mileage without having to look at each bug's page. That and I think Haulin Cache may have a bit of a lead here B)

You're right. It does.

 

I added a column for the distance, but my lack Perl skills means you can't sort by the different columns yet. I'll have to figure out how to add the ability to sort by column later.

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bazzle

+bazzle

Posted
Posted
What about a mileage ranking? There is good listings of number of caches and most creative, but I think it would be cool to see where the bugs stand in mileage without having to look at each bug's page. That and I think Haulin Cache may have a bit of a lead here  B)

You're right. It does.

 

I added a column for the distance, but my lack Perl skills means you can't sort by the different columns yet. I'll have to figure out how to add the ability to sort by column later.

Good job brad B)

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raceamerica

raceamerica

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Berti is now up to 16 states.

 

Several of the racers have been placed in event caches, but that issue was not mentioned in the rules. It is now. Event caches are not a problem, e.g., pizza places usually have enough room for a few travel bugs. (Virtual caches have no container.)

 

Keep the bugs moving ... Haulin Cache certainly has been.

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raceamerica

raceamerica

Posted
  • Author
Posted

:laughing:

 

A problem with one of the rules has come up a number of times since the beginning of the race. At the beginning of the race, the first rule was:

 

"Racers may not be mailed, shipped, transported, etc between cachers or muggles after the race starts, but must be carried from cache to cache by cachers. Racers can be placed multiple times by the same cacher."

 

Later that was clarified to:

 

"Racers may not be mailed, shipped, transported, grabbed, etc between cachers or muggles after the race starts, but must be carried from cache to cache by cachers. Racers can be placed by any cacher (including any racer bug owner), can be placed multiple times by the same cacher, and placements can include in-out placements."

 

In the course of the race, a number of bugs have been transferred between cachers (logged as a grab), which violates this rule in its old and new form. Both versions say the racers "must be carried from cache to cache by cachers". The cacher who grabbed the bug has it "illegally" so I have been handling this by not counting the (first) placement by that cacher. I have been notifying the owners when it happens, so they know why the placement wasn't included. If the outlaw cacher then retrieves the bug, then it's theirs and their subsequent placement(s) are not a problem. This means that a grabber needs to place a racer bug in two caches in a new state for that state to count.

 

The bugs are supposed to travel through caches, so the intent of this rule is to prevent bugs from being transported otherwise.

 

The bottom line: is this a stupid rule and I'm being pedantic in upholding it or should I drop it and let them travel at will?

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Team GeoDillo

+Team GeoDillo

Posted
Posted

Since you're asking, I'd say drop the rule and let the bugs travel at will. As my travel bug is one of the "violators", I will still accept the penalties incurred either way.

 

Regarding the rule, my bug has been "carried from cache to cache by cachers". However, I don't see that as excluding a hand-off from one cacher to the next. I mean really, I can't control what happens to my bug when it's in the hands of other cachers. Cachers get together all the time (outside of events) and cache together. This sort of friendly activity should be encouraged, not banned. Is it really all that bad for one cacher to give another a travel bug so that it can travel? :laughing:

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bazzle

+bazzle

Posted
Posted

My bug has moved from cacher to cacher several times. Each time the two cachers have met at, or found together a cache. So the the first one drops it into the cahe and the second pulls it out. Simple enough concept and encourages friendly trips with other cachers. I say the rule is fine the way it is, without it there is nothing to prevent a bug from being mailed to another state and grabbed by the receiving cacher directly from the sending cacher. At least by meeting at a cache location there is a verifiable log that both cachers were there and signed the book.

 

Then again I have 500+ caches within 25 miles of my home so it is very easy for cachers in my area to follow this meet and drop process.

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Team GeoDillo

+Team GeoDillo

Posted
Posted

I think you proved my point, Bazzle. There is little difference between two cachers handing off a travel bug, and those same two cachers handing off a travel bug while they stand with an ammo can at their feet.

 

To say that "without the rule there is nothing to prevent a bug from being mailed to another state and grabbed by the receiver" is not true, in my opinion. Cacher X could go to a cache in California and log a bug in as well as log for cacher Z, then just mail the bug to cacher Z in Montana. Cacher Z then logs on the gc.com web and retrieves the travel bug, just as if he were standing there at the cache. Having a physical log in a log book does not prove a cacher was there. Having the "grabbed" rule does not prevent this, as you implied.

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bazzle

+bazzle

Posted
Posted
I think you proved my point, Bazzle. There is little difference between two cachers handing off a travel bug, and those same two cachers handing off a travel bug while they stand with an ammo can at their feet.

 

To say that "without the rule there is nothing to prevent a bug from being mailed to another state and grabbed by the receiver" is not true, in my opinion. Cacher X could go to a cache in California and log a bug in as well as log for cacher Z, then just mail the bug to cacher Z in Montana. Cacher Z then logs on the gc.com web and retrieves the travel bug, just as if he were standing there at the cache. Having a physical log in a log book does not prove a cacher was there. Having the "grabbed" rule does not prevent this, as you implied.

I guess that is true. Though quite often the different log styles and sigantures of the cachers is apparent in written logs. Ultimately though your point is valid. I still like the rule, TBs were intended to move via caches (IMHO) and I do not see it as a problem to follow the rule.

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raceamerica

raceamerica

Posted
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Not too many people have commented about the problem rule, but all of the owners with bugs that violated it don't like it because it's too restrictive and too confusing.

 

With the new wording is not so much a rule but an instruction:

<<

Racers can be placed by any cacher (including any racer bug owner), can be placed multiple times by the same cacher, and placements can include in-out placements. Racers should be carried from cache to cache by cachers, but grabs sometimes happen when cachers meet.

>>

 

I've credited the bugs for their placements that were not race inventoried because of this rule. Berti (currently 1st) and Haulin Cache (2nd) were not effected but a few others were: Lowracing Land Luge and Team Snoogz: Turn-N-Burn! Jett Threatt TOO are now tied for 3rd and journey across america is now 6th. journey across america had a prior grab that was already inventoried because it was placed at least twice (in Colorado), per my previous method of handling the rule.

 

How many states would Berti and Haulin Cache have if they hadn't been restricted by this rule? <_<

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tobsas

+tobsas

Posted
Posted
fyi - we are having another travel bug race. very similiar to the baseball race, but this time... its FOOTBALL stadiums.

As some of you probably know, we're from Germany. We've entered two Travel Bugs (so far ;-) ) into US-based races: Race through America and the Great NFL football stadium race. Berti, our participant in the Race through America, just met Frankfurt Galaxy, our participant in the NFL stadium race, at the event to kick off the NFL race... They are travelling so far from Germany and then they really meet each other, awesome. :-) Never expected that much fun out of Travel Bugs ...

 

Greetings,

Tobias and Saskia

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raceamerica

raceamerica

Posted
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Posted

For a TB race, I don't think power is a big issue since it's mostly about geography :-) I don't want to change the rules this far into the race. As far as I'm concerned, DC is either part of Maryland or it doesn't count at all, like the US possessions: Guam, the Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Puerto Rico, and Samoa.

 

... for deciding the border of Jesusland, that's another story.

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raceamerica

raceamerica

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Posted

It's been a while since anyone posted to this race, but the race is due to finish in a few short months (July). Things have changed a lot.

 

Berti is still in the lead, but is up to 28 states followed by

Lowracing Land Luge with 20 then

Flaming Mustang Mach 1 with 19.

 

Lowracing Land Luge has put on a lot of distance in its travels though so is the leader in the distance category.

 

It doesn't look like Berti will hit all the "lower 48" or all 50, but he may get 30 or 35 ???

 

I wonder if tobsas is taking bets?

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raceamerica

raceamerica

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The race started with 27 racers. There seems to be currently 12 or 13 that are missing, so only about half survived the year+ of the race :-(

 

Given that, the survivors have done well to last this long. Berti has done very well and may get 30 states, if the current holder places Berti by/during this weekend. The race ends 4 Jul.

 

With Haulin Cache's recent cross-country trip, Haulin acquired a many addional miles. Combined with its previous travels there and back again, it's far and away the mileage leader. Well, today anyway.

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raceamerica

raceamerica

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Posted

The Race Through America is finished!!!

 

The following are the winners based on the logs posted by midnight last night:

 

First place (all 50 or the most states visited) - Tobsas's Berti

Most distance - Team Geodillo's Lowracing Land Luge

Most caches - bazzle's Haulin Cache

Least distance - chstress53's April's Weiner Mobile

Fewest caches - Cache on the spot's Prancin Dancer

 

Those were based on the bugs that were still active at the end of the race, i.e., can't give a prize to a dead horse.

 

Previous awards:

Most creative or unique TB hitchhiker - bazzle's Haulin Cache

Best logo design - Dirty_Bird

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tobsas

+tobsas

Posted
Posted

Wow! Berti won. If anybody had told us that prior to the race, we would have told him that he is ... optimistic. ;-) However, it wasn't only the amount of visited states we loved so much about Berti's journey but also the very friendly logs and the many nice pictures, thank you all so much for the fun! :-)

 

Greetings from Germany,

Saskia and Tobias (tobsas)

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