Travel Bug Dog Tag Caching Barefoot (to Wil)

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Owner:
MtnLion Send Message to Owner Message this owner
Released:
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Origin:
North Carolina, United States
Recently Spotted:
In the hands of the owner.

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Current Goal

  1. To make it's way from me in Asheville, NC to the author (and geocacher) Wil Wheaton in Pasadena, CA.
  2. To be autographed by Wil and sent back home to me (via SASE).
  3. It would be cool if, along the way, this bug could pass through anywhere or be handled by anyone named "Wil" or "Wheaton" (thanks to Sparrowhawk for that input).

**INTERMEDIATE GOAL HAS BEEN REACHED!!!!! Thanks a million to some excellent Washington State geocachers (runhills, Team Misguided, & fractal)**

**INTERMEDIATE GOAL: As of Oct 13, the Bug is in Seattle (thanks to Gadget Girl)! I would very much like it to get to Portland, OR before Nov 12 and into the hands of geocacher Sparrowhawk who has promised to take the bug to Pasadena, CA. After Nov 12, this intermediate goal expires, so please, if you can take the bug from Seattle to Portland, do it quickly! Thanks, MtnLion

About This Item

MtnLion, Jack, and the TB

Countdown

Countdown to the Caching Barefoot (to Wil) Travel Bug Arrival
 

November 16th, 3PM Pacific Arrival - Somewhere near Pasadena<align="center">(Countdown source code thanks to Argyle)

Here is a link to an article that Team Dakiba found about geocaching in SoCal in the LA Times Magazine (online). At the end of the article, this travel bug is cited: LA Times article PDF (PDF courtesy of SparrowHawk).

Discussion threads about this bug:

**COOL NOTE** Sparrowhawk heard about this TB through a post I made in the TB forum. While at a booksigning, she told Wil that this bug was out there and on it's way to him. I'm told he was excited to hear about it and is totally into it. So thank you! SO MUCH! to Sparrowhawk for turning this TB's goal into a mission with promise!

It is due to Wil Wheaton Wil Rocks!, and his website www.wilwheaton.net, that I got into geocaching in the first place. He has created and maintains a great website for himself and his fans/community. On the website is his "Soapbox" that has a forum called "Geocaching". I happened upon it, read some of the strings, and within a week I had my own Garmin Vista GPSr and had begun taking my sedentary family out a couple of times a week on hikes in our beautiful city of Asheville, NC and the surrounding Blue Ridge and Great Smokey Mountains. I'm so thankful that Wil takes the time to diseminate what's going on with his life because his website has helped to enhance my life, and is a great source of humor, community, and geekdom. Wil is doing so well and has created another success of himself.

The name of this TB comes from Wil's new book→ Dancing Barefoot at Monolith Press

So, Wil, whenever this bug makes it to you, I'd sure love to have your autograph on the WWDN sticker and have you mail it back to me. Your movie and TV roles were great and I enjoyed them, but what you've done with your website has had a far more important impact on the quality of my family's time together. Thanks, and best to you and yours. David D (MtnLion on Geocaching.com)

Gallery Images related to Caching Barefoot (to Wil)

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Tracking History (5781mi) View Map

Retrieve It from a Cache 7/9/2004 MtnLion retrieved it from MtnLion #1 at Beaverdam Creek North Carolina   Visit Log

Just placing/retrieving in a cache of mine near my house to show mileage back home.
Dropped Off 7/9/2004 MtnLion placed it in MtnLion #1 at Beaverdam Creek North Carolina - 2,007.58 miles  Visit Log
Retrieve It from a Cache 7/9/2004 MtnLion retrieved it from Dancing with a Barefoot Geek California   Visit Log

Well, Wil finally let it come back to me. He mailed it back to me per plan. He didn't actually go to or "Retrieve" it from Caching Barefoot cache (I wish so much he would have), so I'm doing that since I do have the bug's tags now. He included a different WWDN sticker in addition to mine that I had originally included in the bug. He also included a copy of his book Dancing Barefoot and autographed it and my bumper sticker.

Thanks to all of you who helped this bug along the way. In true caching form, the hunt (or trip) was the most fun and most rewarding for me. I love to see a plan come together, especially by the graces of good humans.

Cache on!

MtnLion
Write note 6/24/2004 MtnLion posted a note for it   Visit Log

FYI to all of you still watching this "forgotten" bug:

Prompted by a post on Wil's Soapbox by Sparrowhawk/Falcospav early this month (which I just saw tonight), I emailed Wil Wheaton just to see what was up. He replied quickly that he still had the bug, had sort of forgotten to get it back on the road, and would be putting it in a mailbox tomorrow on it's way home finally.

So perhaps the final step will be taken afterall.

Cheers,

MtnLion
Write note 11/26/2003 MtnLion posted a note for it   Visit Log

Just to let you all know, Wil does have the bug, but hasn''''t logged it yet because he is intending on actually going caching and finding the cache Dancing with a Barefoot Geek over the weekend. Then he''''ll log the cache, log the bug as retrieved, and mail it back to me. Cool!!!

Thanks again to everyone who moved this bug, looked at this page, or thought it was a cool idea.

**This bug has spawned a new TB by Brad.32 called Scott the space shuttle (TBC45C). Scott is made up of a diecast space shuttle, and a card photo of a space shuttle launching with the authentic autograph of G. Scott Hubbard (Director of NASA Ames, father of Mars Pathfinder) on the back. Brad.32 is super cool for getting that autograph for me. If you can, give that bug a helping hand back my way.😁
Write note 11/16/2003 Sparrowhawk posted a note for it   Visit Log

The bug is now safely in the hands of a very delighted Wil Wheaton. We handed it to him personally at a local Starbucks to make sure it was safely delivered. Watch this space for lots of pictures and details!! (Give it a few days because hey, I gotta fly home to Portland and my own computer first!!) 😁

  • Arriving at Portland International Airport... It&#39;s the 19th now, I am home, time to upload. This is the first shot in the PDX Aiport.
  • Damn... simply can't figure out WHERE this bug was at this point... gee... ;-)
  • Ah... this is the life... A good brew, some good pizza, and a travel bug. A great combination! And in the airport, too! ;-)&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;By the way, we Oregonians are VERY proud of our local microbrew scene. We get wonderfully creative with our local beers, lagers, ales, etc.! This number of taps is rather typical for a decent Oregon brewpub... :)
  • Wil reads MtnLion's letter Wil was pretty delighted at finally seeing this bug in person. Meanwhile, outside the range of the camera, the small group of new geocaching friends was having a great time talking, laughing, hanging with each other and saying hi to Wil!
  • The moment of autograph... OK... WHAT was the point of this bug again? I forget... ;-)
  • OK, let's mail this thing... Everyone there was grinning as big as Wil was! [:D]
  • Whoops! Almost forgot to upload this one... This is the moment of Team Dakiba handing over the bug.
Dropped Off 11/15/2003 MightyDee placed it in Dancing with a Barefoot Geek California - 820.32 miles  Visit Log
Grab It (Not from a Cache) 11/15/2003 MightyDee grabbed it   Visit Log

SparrowHawk brought this to SoCal with her and handed it off to me yesterday. Geting close now.....
Write note 11/9/2003 Sparrowhawk posted a note for it   Visit Log

The unfolding story of this bug continues!

Words fail me as to what a SHOCK it was that the bug has been directed by fate to have ME help complete it's journey! Never expected THAT! 😮 😁

Now... on Friday the 14th, I land in Los Angeles. Team Dakiba will meet me that evening to formally receive the Caching Barefoot (To Wil) travel bug.

The bug's owner, Team Dakiba and I have planned THE most cool landing for this bug! Team Dakiba knows the Southern California cache scene like the front of his GPS. 😉

He is now in the midst of organizing a special cache named The 'Just Dancing With A Barefoot Geek' Cache for this bug to land in for it's final destination. It will be placed somewhere near Pasadena. Might as well make a cache which is a new destination for Wheaton fans! Can anyone point out any classier way any TB has reached it's destination than THIS? 🙂

Of course, we just HAVE to time the posting of this cache for 3:00PM, Sunday November 16, the same time as the projected placing of the TB itself.

So the spirit of the bug gets to live on in this new cache.

Stay tuned for this TB's glorious action scene in LA just before the final finish (i.e. MnLion finally getting that autograph from Wil by mail!). 🙂

Retrieve It from a Cache 10/19/2003 Sparrowhawk retrieved it from Beaverton Cache Machine Oregon   Visit Log

Houston - errr.. I mean, Ascheville, North Carolina - the Caching Barefoot (To Wil) Travel Bug has landed in Portland. 😉

  • Fractal arrives with THE magical bug! :-) WHOAAA!! Yeah, it&#39;s an amazing bug all right... ;-)
  • Handing it over...
  • Don't sparrowhawks have feathers? I dunno... this one instead wears funky sequins for some reason... must be a rare species. This one is tasting a travel bug found in the wild. ;-)
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