+BigToys Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 (edited) My 10 year old son and I are pretty new to Geocaching, and he is very interested in the concept of Travel Bugs and giving them goals. We recently bought several and registered them and dropped them in one of our favorite caches. Within days they had both been removed from this cache, but only one of them has been logged as removed. Our question is, how often TB's just disappear without a trace? Is it common for them to go missing for a while and then re-appear? Does the TB system on the Geocaching website work well? It seems like I've found that I have had TB's that I've picked up, logged and then tried to place in a cache, but they don't show up in my account in order to show them as dropped in a new cache. I'm wondering if this is happening for others? It might explain why one of ours is already missing. I also recognize that the system is only as good as the users and if folks aren't logging the removed TB's then the whole process is broken at that point. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. BigToys Edited March 16, 2005 by BigToys Quote Link to comment
Stony2008 Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 (edited) this needs to be moved to the travel bug forum. Edit:grammar Edited March 16, 2005 by Stony2008 Quote Link to comment
+mortaine Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 [in the meantime, hope nobody minds if I answer....] Well, checking out your profile, I see that you own 2 travel bugs that you've released. One's in a cache, and the other is in the hands of a geocacher. The cache that the other is in hasn't been visited in the 6 days since you dropped it off. The geocacher picked it up 4 days ago and is still well within the bounds of good taste for holding onto a bug. It's fairly common for travel bugs to disappear without a trace. Sometimes they get traded for trade items. Sometimes they get "muggled" by someone new to the game or not even in the game (yet). Sometimes they go missing and you read the logs and someone will say "took Scotland TB" but they didn't log it. For those, I usually send a quick, polite note asking them to log it and telling them how, in case they're new or unfamiliar with TBs. Most of the time, they don't log because they didn't know how, or they were away from the computer on vacation and only logged their caches until they got home. Bugs frequently go missing and then re-appear. It is not uncommon AT ALL for a bug to stay in a holder's hands for a few months, especially during inclement weather seasons. It is uncommon and considered borderline impolite for someone to hold a TB for more than a couple of weeks without letting the owner know. Site problems like the one you describe are rare; usually that's user error. Make sure you fill out the whole form, including the type of log you're posting for the bug. Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 (edited) I've lost one bug out of two released. It was initially thought that the cache my bug was lost in a flood. However, it was later found; then the cache really did go missing and was archived. Edited March 16, 2005 by sbell111 Quote Link to comment
+BigToys Posted March 16, 2005 Author Share Posted March 16, 2005 (edited) Thanks "mortaine" and my apologies"Stony2008" for posting in the wrong forum. Mortaine, the TB you described as still being in the original cache was also removed. We know this because we went back and looked several days after dropping it off and it's not there. I realize the website can't know it's been taken unless it's logged and that's the crux of my question. Why take it if you aren't going to use it properly? We'll just hope for the best and assume it will show up again or has gone on to a better life on someone's desk somewhere! BigToys EDIT: spelling! Edited March 16, 2005 by BigToys Quote Link to comment
Stony2008 Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 It's absolutely no problem . I just think you might get better responses in the right forums thats all. Sorry if i sounded mean Quote Link to comment
Keystone Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Moving the topic to the proper forum. Quote Link to comment
+the hermit crabs Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Mortaine, the TB you described as still being in the original cache was also removed. We know this because we went back and looked several days after dropping it off and it's not there. Check the March 13 log by Cache-is-Clay: "I just got to a working computor today (3/16). I left the sparker #8 geocoin and took the 'Wee travel bug'. I may have seen NJboppa coming up the trail as I left down another one, Since I was also there about the same time. (I will need one more day to log out the wee TB since I don't have it with me currently and do not know the ID number, please be patient." Quote Link to comment
+BigToys Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 Hey Hermit Crabs, Now I've really got my tail between my legs! Thanks for paying better attention than I am. I appreciate the info and the helpful nature of everyone in the forum. Thanks! BigToys Quote Link to comment
+the hermit crabs Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Hey Hermit Crabs, Now I've really got my tail between my legs! Thanks for paying better attention than I am. I appreciate the info and the helpful nature of everyone in the forum. Thanks! BigToys You're welcome! No problem at all -- it's perfectly normal to be a little anxious over the fate of a brand new bug, especially when it seemed to have disappeared so fast. I've found that the only way to not get too worked up over missing bugs is: more bugs! If we only had one or two, I'd be really disappointed when they disappeared. But we've got a few dozen out there, with about 8 or 10 more in the works on our desk at home, almost ready to be sent out. We've had to mark a few as missing, but with so many others still active it takes the sting out a bit. People often pick up bugs on vacation, and can't log them right away, so I usually give it at least a few weeks before starting to wonder where they've gone. And then usually a couple of months to admit it's really gone and either send out a replacement or give up on it. Quote Link to comment
+GeoTeam Maggi Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 This "cache" is the Travel Bug Graveyard. There are 1277 posts, almost all of which are TB's that are MIA. Some interesting posts on the demise of the TBs can be read there. Quote Link to comment
+Eartha Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 There are two pinned threads at the top of this forum, the longevity thread and the obituary thread. There are plenty of examples in there that show what can happen to travel bugs. Travel bugs have also been known to reappear out of the blue a year after going missing. Never lose hope! Quote Link to comment
+AtoZ Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Had a cache muggled this weekend it had 2 tb and YJTB in it. It is sad. cheers Quote Link to comment
+LuvWahoo Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 (edited) When you have a travel bug go missing, you still own the travel bug number. Instead of leaving it in the travel bug graveyard, you can reincarnate it into a new bug. You can keep the same theme, or change the name and the kind of bug it is. Just use the copy, or as I am doing, make a new tag with the TB number on it. I had one bug travel 49 miles before a newbie took it and kept it, and another travel 10 miles before the TB hotel it was in got stolen! They are going to be started again soon with their new tags! This way you get your monies worth out of the the TB tag you bought! Edited March 25, 2005 by LuvWahoo Quote Link to comment
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