My goodness...101 HHs! I can barely keep track of the 5 or so I've got out there. Well, congratulations, Hitchhiker King, for reaching your goal!

LW

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I was always told ya shouldn't sweep on New's Years DAY (nyD) cause whatcha do on that day is what ya will do all year.

Not only is what you do on New Year's Day what you will do all year, but when you sweep on NYD, you could sweep good luck out of your house!

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what did y'all do?? are these traditions just regional for my area or anyone else do them?? I always figured it was a southern thang but I'm not sure!!

Well, I'm VERY familiar with the greens/black-eyed peas! But then again, I'm in NC too! hehe Another tradition is that you never NEVER go to a cemetery on NYD. You will attend funerals all year. And who wants that? (In other words, LB in parks on NYD!)

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I was always told ya shouldn't sweep on New's Years DAY (nyD) cause whatcha do on that day is what ya will do all year

All right!!! I didn't grow up having and NYD traditions but I like this one since I found 5 letterboxes yesterday thanks to DixieKin!!! PS I grew up in IL but we could just be odd.
Pokey

Is AQ having cookie problems again or is it just me? I have tried logging in from multiple computers and all are prompting for name/pw every time I open a member page. I'll just delete mine and see if that helps but wanted to mention it since I thought there was a tweak a while back that should have eliminated this problem.

Hmm, seems to be my anniversary too, I did not realize that until I saw the little cake.

:-)

am having the same problem. Everytime I come back to AQ, I need to re-log in, even if I hit the remember me button.

Dewberry

ps--Happy Anniversary!

Deleting the www.atlasquest cookie did not seem to help me and I did not find any others obviously referring to atlasquest in the folder.

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am having the same problem. Everytime I come back to AQ, I need to re-log in, even if I hit the remember me button.

I have the same problem.

Jan of Team Little Dog

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I didn't really think I was technically supposed to stamp the other HHs in my log, but I figured I'd never see them again and I wanted the images.

In my opinion, that's a good idea, but I don't know that there is any rule on it.

I have a hostel and really enjoy it. When visiting a hostel, I think that you can take as many images as you like and put them in your logbook. After all, you did find them. However, I prefer that people only stamp into the hitchhikers that they take. If you do not take it with you it is better (in my opinion) not to stamp into it. HH's are made to travel and if they stay at the hostel and the logbooks fill up there it doesn't get a chance to travel around collecting stamps from all over.

By doing it this way, the visitor of the hostel always has one book to stamp into (the hostel log that stays at the hostel) and they can stamp as many images as they want into their logbook. They take a HH only if they leave one and the one that they take should have their stamp as well as the one they place that it was at and the new place it goes to (like any normal HH).

I find that people just take the HH's that they want and do not pay any attention to which has been there longest. That's fine with me. Whenever I'm going somewhere, I visit my hostel (as part of maintenance) and put a new HH in it and then take out the oldest one myself and make sure that the oldest one travels out somewhere else. This way my "guests" to the hostel and pick any HH they like in exchange for the one that they left and then I take responsibility as part of maintaining my hostel to make sure that no HH gets "stuck" at the hostel.

I have a HHH here in PNW - love it! So fun to check in on it and see who has been there and all the different HHs that have been left and taken! Also, the location of my hostel is a driveby, so it is nice to be able to sit in your vehicle and take your time to figure out what needs to be stamped, etc.

Here's my rules, if it helps:

Rule #1: to take a HH, you must leave a HH. (However, I am thinking about encouraging taking the 'extras', if there is more than the minimum, even if you don't have one to leave. Just to facilitate more movement of the HHs.)

When you visit, you, obviously, get the HHH stamp image (it's a find) and stamp your sig stamp in the HHH logbook. Also, stamp in the HHH logbook the HHs you are leaving. (be sure to stamp the HHH stamp into the HHs you are leaving, so the person picking them up doesn't have to do it!)

You only stamp your sig stamp in the HHs you are taking - this is so the logbooks for the HHs don't get full of sig stamps when they are not moving. The fun of HHs is that they get stamped from all different places. :-)

You, obviously, stamp your sig stamp in the HHs you are leaving.

No HH stamps in other HHs logbooks.

You are free to take stamp images of any or all the HHs in the hostel, if you wish. I like to collect them on a special page in my log just for my HHH. Just for fun!

As a courtesy, when you stamp in the HH logbooks, that you only take up one page or less. Most HH logbooks are on the smaller side, and it is just polite to leave plenty of room for as many stamps as possible.

Different "rules" apply to each hostel, I am sure. It is definitely helpful if the planter makes their rules clear in the clues and maybe even in the hostel, just as a helpful reminder.

Does all that make sense?? :-)

See you on the trail,
SHH

Looks like Scout is planting a bunch more letterboxes on the NC coast again! Oh, I SOOOO need to go to the beach! :)

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However, I prefer that people only stamp into the hitchhikers that they take. If you do not take it with you it is better (in my opinion) not to stamp into it. HH's are made to travel and if they stay at the hostel and the logbooks fill up there it doesn't get a chance to travel around collecting stamps from all over.

That's actually the way I like it, too. Keeping the logbooks relatively empty. However, I do feel bad for those people that like to track the travels of their HH's closely, and when they're updated that we 'found' the HH, but the logbook doesn't have our stamp...on the other hand, it's not that big a deal.

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I find that people just take the HH's that they want and do not pay any attention to which has been there longest. That's fine with me. Whenever I'm going somewhere, I visit my hostel (as part of maintenance) and put a new HH in it and then take out the oldest one myself and make sure that the oldest one travels out somewhere else. This way my "guests" to the hostel and pick any HH they like in exchange for the one that they left and then I take responsibility as part of maintaining my hostel to make sure that no HH gets "stuck" at the hostel.

This is true. I do plan on regularly checking the Hostel anyway, so I should be able to do this as well...but, it's still nice if those who drop by help too.
I've asked that for people that drop/add HH's, to please write the date that they drop them in and the date that they remove them, so that others can know which have been there the longest. I would hate for someone's HH to be 'stuck' in my hostel just because everyone that passes by happens to like all the others more....and I'd hate even more if the entire logbook was filled up with people stamping into it while it was there without taking it! :(

-Celtic Quinn

I have been experimenting with different letter styles in our Word program. I used to use Arial Black or Impact, both are block letters and unless I set them up larger than I want, they are difficult to carve. I recently tried Mistral and it turned out really great. I couldn't even figure out where my boo boos were. I think it has to do with the curves in this style rather than the straight lines in the block letters.

Don

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I recently tried Mistral and it turned out really great. I couldn't even figure out where my boo boos were. I think it has to do with the curves in this style rather than the straight lines in the block letters.

I sometimes use comic sans for the same reason. Rounded letters seem to be more forgiving.

Mumma & BB =D

Me too! Actually, having never been to the NC coast, I think I'm overdue for a trip!

Knit Wit

Hmm....when I carved my event stamp for the Nightmare Before Christmas ring, I used the same font that the title of the movie on the cover has...it was some tough carving, but I think it came out very nice.

But those letters are pretty split between straight and curved. :D

-Celtic Quinn

I just found my recipe for a drink called apple pie here goes:
for 1 gallon
96 OZ apple juice (Martinelli)
32 OZ apple cider (Martinelli brand works best for me but use what you can get)
8 OZ Hot Damn schnappes
2 TBSp honey
2 TBSp brown sugar
for a non-alcoholic version disolve 1 cup redhots candies in 1 cup water and substitute for the Hot Damn

The original recipe called for Everclear but that just made it more alcoholic this tasted much better.

Shiloh

I would take stamps from all the HHs present, but only stamp into the HH(s) I was taking with me, and of course only take one if I was leaving one.

I also have a ton of sig stamps to deal with so the fewer logbooks I have to stamp the better!

Knit Wit

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CQ, I think you should be happy if people just bring in new HH's. I don't think it's realistic to ask people to take the oldest residing hitchhikers first. First of all, there's really no way of knowing how long one has been in there unless everyone logs a date when they sign in.

Actually, our hostel has spaces so you can write the date a stamp came in and when it leaves. I got the idea from someone else's hostel pages (can't remember whose now). Plus, even without that, people usually DO log the date they put an HH in, just like you do when you log into any other LB, so you'd definitely know which ones are older ones.

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Secondly, some HH's just don't appeal to some people...they are too large for them to hide again, or it's a HH from their area and they are trying to "mix it up a little", etc. Or Sometimes a certain image will just appeal to me.

This is true. We've seen that happen in our hostel...some poor HH languishs in the box for ages while niftier looking ones keep moving. So, I do like CQ's idea of asking folks to take the oldest ones first to help them move. The way I figure, it's like anything else...some folks will actually do it and some won't, but at least SOMETHING will happen! :-)

The s & H

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Actually, our hostel has spaces so you can write the date a stamp came in and when it leaves. I got the idea from someone else's hostel pages (can't remember whose now). Plus, even without that, people usually DO log the date they put an HH in, just like you do when you log into any other LB, so you'd definitely know which ones are older ones.

Yep, that's how I modeled my HHH logbook, after yours. I thought it was a good way to do that.

And I agree, some people will do it, some won't. Oh well. :D

-Celtic Quinn

I am logging in fine. No re-typing my info.

OK, is it totally wierd that it is 01/02/06 and I just turned on the AC because it's hot in this house? I mean, the thermostat read close to 80, and with the lights on & the family...it's HOT.

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is it totally wierd

Yes, TOTALLY weird! I was out running around today, and it go so hot in the car, you'd have thought summer was almost here. (Perish the thought!)

DebBee

I live in E. TX and it's been unusually warm here, too. It's been great to be able to go out and find boxes in jeans or shorts and a T-Shirt instead of having to put on a coat or something!

Lucy Locket

OK, is it totally wierd that it is 01/02/06 and I just turned on the AC because it's hot in this house? I mean, the thermostat read close to 80, and with the lights on & the family...it's HOT.

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I just found my recipe for a drink called apple pie

The next time my sister (1/3 of KEMB) comes over (and obviously stays the night!) and my son (the other 1/3 of KEMB) is asleep, we will have to make this! Thanks for the recipe!

It will be a nice treat after a day of letterboxing...

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OK, is it totally wierd that it is 01/02/06 and I just turned on the AC because it's hot in this house? I mean, the thermostat read close to 80, and with the lights on & the family...it's HOT.

And this is so WHY I DON'T LIVE IN FLORIDA anymore!!! 80 frigging degrees. I just can't hack it. You guys are welcome to it! Give me 60-70's any day of the week.

-Amanda from Seattle (where it is a brisk 46 degrees today)

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Give me 60-70's any day of the week.

ME, TOO!!!!! I suffered through that whole flippin' summer (plus the hurricane season) and I earned a winter! I have it coming to me, and I demand that it be delivered!!!

Who should I see about that?

DebBee

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And this is so WHY I DON'T LIVE IN FLORIDA anymore!!!

Imagine what summer's going to be like if it's near 80 (77 was the high today) in January!!

Ugh.

Kaaren
(who spelled WEIRD wrong. Darned typos.)

I noticed this, and I don't know whether my computer is having fun with me, or if it is something that the GT did, but my logbook stuff is coming up "Oldest First" by default. I LIKE IT!!! I really really really hope this isn't my computer trying to make me look stupid in front of everyone...