Travel Bug Dog Tag Geoholic's Hot Potato

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Owner:
NetWatcher Send Message to Owner Message this owner
Released:
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Origin:
South Carolina, United States
Recently Spotted:
Unknown Location

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Current Goal

Geoholic's Hot Potato!
"The first step is ADMITTING you have a problem...."

Thanks to tomcat for the concept.

Score (as of 03-18-05, 1:00 am):
North: 0, South: 0


Good Luck!


Team North: Team South:
pe4meuscTinSparrow
tandsPrairie Dog
The Commissar
LenyawBaruba Juba


Warning! This is not a normal travel bug. This bug is the playing piece in a giant game of "Hot Potato" spanning Columbia, SC and surrounding areas.

About This Item

Fred, the Potato

Please do not take this bug unless you are participating.
Object of the Game:

The object of the game is to keep the Hot Potato in the opposing team's territory for as long as possible. When time is up, the team who has had the Hot Potato in their territory for the shortest time wins.

Scoring:

Teams receive one point for each day the bug spends in the other team's territory. To make it easy, each DATE the bug spends in the other teams territory will count as one point. So, on the day of a transfer, both teams will get a point.

Rules:

  1. Pick a team to play for, either North or South. You can pick either team, regardless of where you live, but you should only play on one team (Please note which team you are playing on when you first log the bug.). You can move the bug as many times as you have the opportunity to during the game. Or you can choose to just move it once.

    All people interested in playing should put this bug on their watch list.

  2. If someone on the North team finds the bug in a cache in the North Territory, they should try to move the bug to a cache in the South Territory and Vice Versa. Any days the bug is in your hands after having been taken from your territory will count as being in your territory, so it is in your team's best interest to move it quickly as possible to the opposing teams territory (thus "hot potato"). You may also move it within your own territory if it helps get it closer to the goal.

  3. The bug should always be in the Playing Area. See the map for the game boundaries. Please do not take it out of these boundaries.

  4. The bug can be placed into a new or existing cache. Placing the bug in or removing the bug from a cache you have previously found is allowed, by marking a note, not a find, to the cache page. Putting the bug in a cache that has a high level of difficulty is fair. Moving or modifying the cache containing the bug to make it harder to find is not.

  5. If you happen to be caching in the opposing team's territory, you may pick up this bug and move it to another cache that day, but you may not hold it overnight.

  6. An individual cacher or caching group, MAY NOT move the bug from their territory twice in a row. Additionally, If more than one person was responsible for grabbing the bug, handing it off to another player who might have handed it off further, all players involved in getting the bug moved into the opposing team's territory must sit on their hands next round. (example: North Cacher *A* and *B* move the bug from North Territory to a cache in South Territory. South Cacher *Z* moves the bug back to North Territory. Both North Cacher *A* and *B* MAY NOT physically help in any way as the bug from the North territory this time.

  7. The bug gets credit for being in a certain territory on the date you LOG the bug. (So, you cannot put the bug into the opposing teams territory, not log it until several days later and backdate your log) You CAN enter it on a later date, but you will not get the points for the dates not logged, even if the bug was physically in the cache.

  8. Over the course of the game (which might last 4 to 8 weeks), the bug cannot be place in the same cache twice.

  9. Be sure to abide by cache page posted hours of operation/admittance, or signs posted near-by caches stating hours of operation/admittance. Violation of this rule will result in that team's anticipated point not counting. Play will resume when the spud is placed in the next cache.

  10. In the interest of fair play, the bug should not be placed in caches marked "Member's Only".


  • Tips:

    If the bug is in your territory in a cache with a high degree of difficulty, then moving the bug to a more accessible cache would be a significant contribution, even if the bug didn't move any closer to the opposing team's territory.

    If you can't make some sort of contribution to moving the bug to the opposing territory, leave the bug for someone who can.

    Playing Area:

    The boundaries for the playing field for the game is as follows (Note: These coordinates are meant as guidelines. It is possible to hide the bug outside of the given playing area by a few miles if necessary. However, I-20 is the absolute dividing line between North and South.):

    • Team North Territory:

      Northern Boundary: N 34.174
      Southern Boundary: I-20
      Eastern Boundary: W 80.82
      Western Boundary: W 81.33

    • Team South Territory:

      Northern Boundary: I-20
      Southern Boundary: N 33.86
      Eastern Boundary: W 80.82
      Western Boundary: W 81.33

    • Gallery Images related to Geoholic's Hot Potato

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    Tracking History (9206.8mi) View Map

    Write note 3/9/2005 TinSparrow posted a note for it   Visit Log

    Maybe you didn't look hard enough. Maybe you didn't notice that we had turned the Potato Travel Bug into 66 Shoestring-Potato Micro Travel Bugs.
    Write note 3/9/2005 tands posted a note for it   Visit Log

    Well... I know where the mashy isn't, and I got some great fresh air and aerobic exercise. I love Geocaching!!

    • T of TandS
    Write note 3/9/2005 tands posted a note for it   Visit Log

    My spidey sense is telling me that maybe the bug is no longer in HikerHands. I am going with my intuition about where it is which was correct on South's last hide. I will report back with news of my success or failure.

    • T of TandS
    Write note 3/9/2005 TinSparrow posted a note for it   Visit Log

    I thought that we sent Team Hikerman a check. Or maybe we gave him a gift card to Chuck's seafood.
    Write note 3/9/2005 The Commissar! posted a note for it   Visit Log

    ...Likely a carbon copy of the letter they sent to BarubaJuba except they changed the references to Goddess of Geocaching, having PrariegoD on the team, etc...

    We use no smoke & mirrors on the North Team! We are hard core (insert flexing muscle movement with manly man grunting noise)!

    Are those batteries charged yet? I'm ready to play!
    Write note 3/9/2005 NetWatcher posted a note for it   Visit Log

    This should help matters.....

    I've set up a forum at http://geoholic.forumer.com

    Discuss.....
    Retrieve It from a Cache 3/9/2005 Team HikerMan retrieved it from The Lions Lookout South Carolina   Visit Log

    Team Hikerman is now in the possession of the Potato. Team North could have made it a bit more difficult. I asked the Potato where he would like to visit next and he gave me a really good spot to place him. Look for him in his new home soon.

    By the way, Team South had a very convincing recruiting effort. Proud to join this team of such illustrious cachers.
    Write note 3/9/2005 Deliveryguy428 posted a note for it   Visit Log

    Just wanted to add a few quick things from Tinsparrow's post.

    1- I agree with all the rules that him and Commissar have suggested.

    2- Island caches, like I said all along, I am not for them just because I am not that deep into the whole boat owning thing, but I am not against them just because I know if needed I could locate someone who could help me.

    3- I noticed two more people have removed themselves from watching this TB, I am not sure who all watching this page outside of the posted players, but I am sad to seem them go.

    4- In times of heated battle things can and do get down right testy, but a strong well knit community deals with the situation and moves on. That is what we are, a strong well-knit group of people who all share the same interests. We all were here before the game and we all will be here after the game. I would have hated to see a division of the group because of this game, but I know this wont happen, because, like I said, we are strong and unified in our love and desire for the hobby of geocaching. So I am happy to know that there will be no long term effects among people in our group over this game.

    Other points of interest- TandS is a loyal and committed team to Team North and knowing what I know (but I wont say) I am not going to be looking forward to having to face them if and when the teams are reshuffled. For now I shall enjoy the evilness they bring to the team, along with the rest of us. >:)

    Happy and hiding in Greenville :)

    Write note 3/9/2005 TinSparrow posted a note for it   Visit Log

    I love using the Hot Potato has a Columbia area forum page.

    The tricky thing about modifying the map to match the current coords, is that the shape of the rectangle will change and you won't get the current coords in the end result. I've go the same software package for producing said map, and the coords that The Commissar! gives were actually obtained by analyzing the current map with the software to measure the boundaries. I think that we can keep the current picture, we should just change the posted numbers so that they match it as precisely as possible.
    Write note 3/9/2005 tands posted a note for it   Visit Log

    I made the original map. It will be no problem to mod it to meet the numeric boundaries. I'm on it and will send a copy to the Great and Powerful Netwatcher within 24 hrs.

    • T of TandS
    data on this page is cached for 3 mins