This is no ordinary cache.... This is a Traveling Cache!
Yes, once upon a time there were caches set out into the world to be moved!
Positives:
- Traveling caches are a grandfathered type of cache so they are rare (which makes them exciting).
- It's very cool to see names on logs you've never seen before.
- Each time it's moved it's like another chance for FTF in a new location. It's thrilling to race others to the new location before it moves again.
- If you don't feel like moving it, you can just find it and leave it for the next finder.
- If you do move it, it does not have the same proximity requirements as a traditional cache. I've seen them "hidden" inside larger caches!
- I know some cachers that each time the cache crosses their paths they log it as a new find.
Negatives:
- If it's brought from another state, you may inadvertently earn a new state souvenir. That's how I earned a Utah souvenir without ever visiting. To remove it, you can contact geocaching.com to have it taken off your profile. This may also effect your statistics in GSAK and project-gc.com.
- As it could be hundreds or thousands of miles from it's original coordinates, it's very hard for the owner to perform container maintenance.
- As CO's leave the game, the coordinates are no longer updated on the cache page.
- As it does not have a special cache-type icon they are not easy to track and you could pass by one without noticing.
- Some CO's do not allowed traveling caches to be "found" at events and breaking that rule has caused some hard feelings when the CO's delete the logs.
To date, I've had the pleasure of crossing paths with 5 so far:
- 50 State Traveler GC4241 - hid 03/27/02
- Michigan Traveling Micro Cache GC7361 - hid 04/24/10
- The Coaster Cacher II GC82D0 - hid 02/01/09
- ABC's GCCD54 - hid 08/17/03
- Utah MOVING Cache #3 GCDB76 - hid 01/13/03
Speaking of the ABC Traveling Cache GCCD54
Two years ago I started watching this Michigan gem with no real hopes of ever handling it. It has a strict requirement that it must remain in Genesee County, Michigan; however, I thought it's premise fun. With each new hiding of the ABC cache, it had to be hidden near a place or object starting with the next letter of the alphabet. If you found it at an Airport, you could then drop it at a Barbershop. The next hider could conceal it in a stand of Cedars.
Then, horror! It went missing about a year and a half ago. The last hider didn't post coordinates but an ambiguous, almost-letterbox-like description. Even our most experienced finders couldn't locate it. After many communications and then the reviewers disabling it, Ken243 adopted the cache over to yellowjeeperman right before Thanksgiving 2015. Hurrah!
With joy, yellowjeeperman released the new container into the wild (which consisted, much to my joy and surprise, of handing it to me at the December Livonia Meet & Greet). A is for 'Across from Applebees'!
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| ABC Traveling Cache GCCD54 |
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| New ABC Traveling Cache Trackable TB6V62C |
B is for boneyard (or milk bone)! Your choice!
I knew I wanted to take it to this very special place. This is the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon. In the middle of an old pet cemetery, it honors the four-legged heroes that lost their lives in the time of military or police action.
On Thursday as the sun was setting, TaGeez and I checked another item off my geo-bucket list: moving and hiding a traveling cache.
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| War Dog Memorial - South Lyon, MI |
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| ABC at the War Dog Memorial - South Lyon, MI |
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| TaGeez concealring the hide: N 42 28.483 W 083 36.834 |
There are several Traveling Cache lists, but this one has a nice description for each bookmarked cache. Let me know if you move one along and have a story to share!
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