Thanks For The Hide

Custom Munzee Tags

Posted on February 7, 2012 | 6 Comments

One of the most common questions I am asked is whether or not I can create custom plastic Munzee tags. Given the fact that players can order Munzee tags from me in the shape of US states or international countries, people start to let their imagination run, and soon, an email is headed my way about custom tags.

The answer is YES – custom shapes are available. Recently, an order was placed for plastic Munzee tags in the shape of an owl. The first order was for 5 – soon after, another order was placed for 20 additional tags. Apparently, the owls went over well … I’m hoping she requests more. Why? First, it’s a nice change from your run-of-the-mill Munzee tag. Second, this player is part of a group, and they are known as Old Wise Ladies. I’m happy to give their Munzee deployments some personalization.

As I have created and deployed my own custom Munzee tags (see, The Moonville Tunnel), as well as countless orders for US state shaped tags – adding a little personality in your deployments is a good thing.

I’m currently working on my own Ohio County Challenge by deploying a Munzee in the shape of Ohio in each of the 88 counties. With only 18 counties completed, I still have a long way to go, but I am determined to complete this challenge. Those players who complete the challenge and capture all 88 will receive a very nice gift indeed, worthy of the time and effort in capturing those Munzees.

So, if you’re looking for custom Munzee tags that are weatherproof, UV resistant and rigid plastic – visit the link above for Munzee Tags and click on Custom Munzee Tags.

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Posted in Munzee, Plastic tag

Catching Up With Travel Bugs

Posted on December 18, 2011 | 1 Comment

I really enjoy receiving updates on my trackables. For some time, I was buying travel bugs from geocaching.com quite frequently and sending them off on their way. During GeoWoodstock IX (GW9), we released about 6 travel bugs and a couple of them have put on thousands of miles since the 2nd of July.

One of the things I like to do when sending out a travel bug is to create a custom tag that is attached to the rider. With the ability to engrave on either a plastic, weatherproof tag, or anodized aluminum, I provide instructions and a link back to this blog. I am always fascinated at where these little buggers end up. With all my trackables, I request that a photo be taken of either where the bug was found or placed so I can visit where they end up … or a photo of the cacher with the trackable. I can’t decide which I enjoy more as both have been fun to view.

From GW9 in Pennsylvania on July 2, 2011 here are a couple updates on my travel bugs…

Howl at the Moon – 4,225.6 miles
From Pennsylvania to West Virgnia and then a huge jump to Northern Scotland, Howl at the Moon then made its way to Southern Scotland at the Edinburgh Castle. The geocacher who recently picked up the bug took a photo of a dog statue with my travel bug on its head (photos below).

A quick Google search told me about the statue and its location. This statue is of a three legged dog called “Bum”. It is located at the King’s Stables Road entrance to Princes Street Gardens and was gifted to the Town from San Diego which is one of Edinburgh’s Twin Cities.

My Bushy Brown Beaver – 6,363.6 miles
The beaver was traded at GW9 in July 2011 and has been the long distance traveler from my trackables so far. From Pennsylvania to Florida and then a flight to Germany, this beaver has seen more action than Vegas showgirl.

While in Germany, My Bushy Brown Beaver had visited some interesting sites including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Hamburg Dungeon, cranes in the port of Hamburg and even the Queen Mary II which is docked in the harbor. Amazing places this beaver has been, and I have been an armchair traveler visiting right along.

Another fun part of the travel bugs visiting foreign countries is translating the comments made by fellow geocachers. I’m pretty sure those in Germany didn’t get the suggestive name I gave this travel bug, as a comment was made which read, “Da haben wir doch nun endlich einen Biber aus USA. Also Mr. Beaver, auf gehts…”. Translated, they said, “Because we’ve got now finally a beaver from the USA. Mr. Beaver So, let’s go …”

I feel this geocacher summed up everything nicely with his parting comments… “Wir haben meinem Neffen Geocaching gezeigt und nun ist er genauso verrückt danach wie wir es sind. Kartoffelbrei war sein erster Cache. Wir wünschen brown beaver alles gute für die Zukunft, ciao Matilas2007″. “We have shown Geocaching to my nephew and now he is just as crazy as we are. Mashed Potatoes was his first cache. We wish you Beaver Brown all the best for the future, ciao Matilas2007″

Geocaching is an addictive and thoroughly enjoyable activity. I’ve tried to explain it to others – some seem interested, some dismiss it as a waste of time. If you don’t have a sense of wonder, enjoy traveling or the thrill of the hunt, then I suppose it would be considered a waste of time. But for me, it is an incredibly fun activity that I enjoy with my family. I enjoy visiting places I never would have known existed and trying to get inside the head of someone I’ve never met … to experience their thoughts on cleverly hiding something.

I’ll keep on sending out travel bugs and geocoins. I’ve lost many of them along the way through various means. Some have been stolen, or in one case, a flood took one away. What a story I’ll have to tell if that one ever shows up again. It can be frustrating to lose a trackable, but for such a small investment, I have the opportunity to travel the world from my computer at home.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Deploying State Shaped Munzee Tags

Posted on November 25, 2011 | Leave a comment

Orders continue to be received for US state-shaped munzee tags and International country-shaped tags as well. The price has been a determining factor for all plastic munzee tags that are produced here at T4TH.
There are no minimums for any size munzee tags, whether it’s the mini tag, regular size tag and now US states and country-shaped tags. Shipping costs are at a bare minimum for domestic and international orders!

Use the navigation above to learn more about these tags. Coming soon – additional items for both munzee and geocache participants.

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Posted in geocache, International, movie, Munzee, music, Plastic tag, United States

New Munzee Tags Available

Posted on October 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

As the final hours of the Pumpkin Munzee event ticks down, it is time to announce yet another new development … for those living in the United States, munzee tags are now available in the shape of your home state. Recently, I have been deploying weatherproof, UV resistant plastic munzee tags in the shape of my home state Ohio. Comments received by players finding these state tags have been very positive. As we travel to different states, I will be using these Ohio shaped munzee tags as a way to let others know that a Buckeye has been in their area and deployed a munzee. It’s my hope that I someday run across a munzee from a different state that will be easily identifiable as well.

If your job requires travel, why not leave a calling card to a fellow munzee player that tells them you’re from out of town, but would like to pass along some points. The state tags also have mounting holes in the event you choose to use zip ties or wood screws to attach the munzee in a permanent way.

What About International Tags?
Of course … this game isn’t just for US players. Plastic munzee tags have been created for international players as well. Whether you are from Germany, Australia, Brazil, Japan, etc., a custom cut tag will be created for you as well. Not only that, but if you provide the text, the international munzee tags will be customized even more by using your native language. No longer will you have just text in English. If you provide the translation, we can produce tags with your message.

New Pricing
The cost per state or international tag is $2.00 each, with no minimums. If you want one produced or many, they are $2.00 each. Prices have been reduced on the regular rectangle munzee tags to $2.00 for the large tag, and $1.50 for the mini munzee tag.

Now that winter is fast approaching, it’s time to move up to the tag that will not be affected by the ice and snow. As the lamination begins to degrade and break down from the elements, you can be assured that these plastic tags will remain in great shape for years to come. You should be out deploying and capturing munzee tags – not replacing tags that have outlived their usefulness.

If you’re interested in purchasing munzee tags, see the navigation link at the top of this website.

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Posted in International, Munzee, Plastic tag, United States

The Moonville Tunnel

Posted on October 1, 2011 | 4 Comments

As the days slowly moved toward the weekend, I kept thinking about what it would be like to visit the geocache (GCJRR8) Moonville Tunnel, an abandoned train tunnel in southeastern Ohio, and find the cache left there.

As the story is told, the tunnel and surrounding area is haunted. Three specific legends are related to the tunnel and this adds to the creepiness of visiting the site.

One legend is that the ghost of a woman is said to walk along the tracks where she had been struck by the train and died. Apparently she is present when you catch the smell of lavender – this occurs even during the dead of winter.

Another legend tells of four different brakeman from the mid to late 1800′s losing their life near the Moonville Tunnel – one of which died from falling from a moving train due to “too free use of liquor”.

The last ghost story relates to a local from the area, around 1886, who enjoyed two favorite pastimes – tipping back the bottle and fighting. Funny how those two activities are intertwined. Apparently, Baldie Keeton had himself a snoutful of liquor and bear-hugged another patron in hopes of provoking a fight. He was told to get out of town “or else”. After some physical persuasion, he left the saloon and on his way home was jumped and murdered. For the past hundred years, visitors have seen Baldie standing on the ledge above the tunnel. He has been known to throw rocks and pebbles at those walking near the tunnel entrance.

While we didn’t witness any of the ghosts, we were discouraged by the other visitors to the tunnel, mainly a group of parents who brought along their preschool aged children to scamper about and scream as they raced around the tunnel like Comanches. I thought to myself, “of course … why wouldn’t you bring along 15 to 20 ankle-biters to a deserted train tunnel in the backwoods of southeastern Ohio?” Perhaps they had plans of leaving them there (there were a few that needed a good ass whippin’), but our presence was a deterrent.

At any rate, due to the constant threat of muggle activity, we decided not to look for the geocache. I had read in the cache notes that it had been muggled before, so I’d rather pass on a cache to avoid it being stolen than adding another find. (It’s not about the numbers, right?)

As we made our way back to the car, we were stopped by three college-aged girls who had heard about the tunnel and wanted directions. We asked if they were here for the geocache … they had never heard of geocaching. Well… that’s all it took for my wife and I to explain the concept and provide the website so they can learn more. During our convincing testimonial, they were very intrigued and asked many questions… they were genuinely interested! Yes!!! More people to participate in this great activity!

After they left, we took advantage of placing a very special Munzee tag I had prepared for the Moonville Tunnel. With my wife coming up with the shape, my daughter providing the vector art to create the tag, I cut and engraved the plastic Munzee tag as a special honor to the Moonville Tunnel. You won’t find this tag at the tunnel (poor GPS reception), but you will find it where parking is available. If you plan on a trip to the Moonville Tunnel, find the geocache and then scan the Munzee tag before you leave for your points. It’s the best of both worlds – Munzee and Geocaching! Hopefully, when you decide to visit, the preschoolers won’t be there for another field trip. The ghosts of Moonville had the right idea by remaining hidden … probably as traumatized as we were.