In Honor of our GeoDogs.
My wife and I recently purchased our first set of travel bugs and we are anxious to get them out on a journey. After reading Dave DeBaeremaeker's post about releasing his Aliens in "Take Me to Your Leader: The Race Begins" (click on the link to go to his site and read the article), I've really been challenged to do something creative with our first release. That's where you can help.
The initial plan is that the travel bugs will be in honor of our two trail dogs, Walker and Spencer (pictured below kicking back and relaxing at the homestead).
In case you don't know, Walker and Spencer are miniature dachshunds and they have brought lots of joy to our lives. Walker (left) will be 10 soon and Spencer recently turned 8. We do our best to take them geocaching whenever it is possible. They are naturals!
The initial plan is that the travel bugs will be in honor of our two trail dogs, Walker and Spencer (pictured below kicking back and relaxing at the homestead).
Walker (left) and Spencer
A few ideas that we've tossed around for the mission is that we'd like to have the travel bugs visit all 50 states. Another is to have them visit a state park in each state, or have them travel with someone on the Appalachian Trail.
What are your suggestions? If you have any creative ways for us to send out our first travel bugs, we'd be delighted to hear from you. I plan to make a decision very soon, and if your suggestion is chosen, we will post about it and give credit where it is due.
Thanks in advance for sharing in our fun.
Wow, thanks for the mention :) I'm really pleased my little project has amused and inspired others. That is completely unexpected, and adds a lot to the fun.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of visiting all 50 states. You could even have them race. I like the idea of races as it gives the TBs both a specific destination, and a sense of urgency, so TBs (hopefully) get moved more.
I would be tempted to release the TBs at the same time, but in a manner that will take them different directions(like at rest areas on either side of the same Interstate, or mailing them to geocachers like I did - happy to assist in this).
Whatever you do, be sure to clearly mark your TBs as travel bugs, and with the mission stated on them, (I used a laminated label attached to the same chain as the TB dogtag), so folks know when then see it in a cache that it is a) not collectable, and b) what its goal is.
Good luck! I look forward to seeing what you do with your travel bugs.
Thanks Dave. Your idea is most likely the one we'll use and I'll keep you informed. I'll also be looking forward to tracking the progress of those aliens.
DeleteThanks for the help.
greetings! Hope things are going well in Valdosta. I lived in Lake Park for a few years and loved it.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea waht you mean by Travel Bugs. Are those devices for your hobby?
Hello Dawn...things are well here in Valdosta. Thanks.
DeleteIn a nutshell, a travel bug is a trackable item used in geocaching and most often comes in the form of a dogtag. Typical of all travel bugs are that they have a unique mission and a tracking number assigned to them. The owner of the travel bug prescribes the mission and it is usually attached to the bug in some fashion, or the details are found online. When someone finds a travel bug in a cache, he or she goes to the website www.geocaching.com and enters the tracking number (found on the tag). When the item is displayed on the website, there is usually a "last seen in" line that should match the name of the cache that it was retrieved from. The finder then logs the bug as retrieved and is tasked with helping it achieve its mission. In order to help it along, the finder should move it to another cache as soon as possible and then go online again to record it as "dropped off". By doing this, the travel bug is tracked and anyone may check on its progress.
If you'd like a great example, I'd refer you to Dave's post (listed above). You will probably get a great idea of how much fun these can be by his post.
Thanks for stopping by the blog, and I hope to hear from you again soon.
I love your geodogs - I have a mini doxie myself and we often take him caching! I like the idea of travelling to all 50 states. It takes a LONG time to hike the AT and I don't know how many TB dipping opportunities they would have.
ReplyDeleteKim, our doxies would go on every trip with us if we'd let them. They especially love to hear those magical words "wanna go for a ride?".
Deletelove the TB pups. my niece, WeenieQueen (geo name) has two herself. one standard size and one tiny little long haired. my other niece SchnauzerQueen ( bet you can't guess what kind of dogs she has !) is hosting her very first Geocaching event next month, called TB Rods and Dogs Meet and Greet.
ReplyDeleteWish you guys lived closer. it would be perfect for Walker and Spencer.
Good luck on your venture and if you are ever in Az - let us know.
Now that's a very creative event and it sounds like a lot of fun. I'm sure that we'd be interested in attending if we were nearby...Walker and Spencer would love it. By the way, I was in that part of the country back in the late 80's for couple of years in New Mexico. While there, I was able to spend a little time in Tuscon, Az and I loved it. We had planned to take a vacation and travel out there two years ago, but an unexpected job change put things on hold. Hopefully, we'll be able to reschedule our trip for the near future.
ReplyDeleteLove it--we have a miniature dachshund, by the name of Huck. I guess I need to give him a Geoname since he found his first cache yesterday on our way home from Laura S. Walker State Park. Love reading your blog---I am very new to geocaching and I think my recliner misses me too, but loving it. TFTH's Paparazzi Patsy from Valdosta
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking time to stop by and comment. We really love our doxies and they do a great job of reciprocating that love back to us. They are always ready to go with us any time we will let them go.
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