Saturday, October 12, 2013

Cache hand-off

The Strom Cache.
It's just a little plastic box with a couple of trinkets, but it's also a fun excuse to get out, ride, and meet fellow Strommers.

The original V-Strom Cache was started on the east coast in 2008 by a guy named Po-Sloke. The Cache traveled all over the Americas, north, and south, but after about two years it suddenly disappeared - possibly taken by aliens who were jealous of the fun us Strom riders were having with Po-Slokes cool idea. 

Then in October 2012 another Strom rider, Andreas, inspired by Po-Sloke's original, started a "Revived Cache". 
The communications about the Cache are mostly made on the Strom-Troopers forum in the Revised Cache thread:
http://www.stromtrooper.com/north-america/80476-strom-cachers-usa-canada-revived.html


So, what is the Cache?
As mentioned before it's a simple plastic box. The object is for a rider to meet with another Strommer and hand off the box and so on and so on. That's how the Cache travels. There is a note book in the box to log in each hand off, and each rider should put in a trinket of some sort for the next rider to take and keep.


You can click here to see a map of where hand offs have taken place.

The Revived Cache had traveled from Salt Lake City, Utah to Arizona, up the west coast to the pacific north west, and recently had returned to Utah.
Grim, a rider in Colorado near Denver had expressed an interest in getting the Cache if someone could meet him halfway. A couple of phone calls last night and the meeting was on. I went to Day Walker's house, the current holder of the Cache for a hand-off at 9:30 last night, then  got up at 4:30 (am) to start the (very cold) ride to Grand Junction. Grim lives near Denver and left his home at 6:00 (am) for his (very cold) ride to the (chilly) 10:00 (am) meeting in Grand Junction.

We met, made the hand off, had a cup of hot chocolate and a nice conversion, then at 11:00 (am) each departed  for our (very warm) homes.

The Cache


I've logged in my hand off to Grim and put in my token: prayer beads I got in Turkey. 
I take out the tokens from Day Walker; a cool Triumph motorcycle pin, and a beer bottle opener (on the right).

 Grim and I at the hand off. Grand Junction, Colorado.

 Some previous hand offs;

Satch (L) and Andreas (R) at the first hand off of the Revised Cache, Elberta, Utah.

Satch hands off to me near Midvale, Utah. Andreas observes...

MedPlt is from Las Vegas, I hand off to him in St. George, Utah.

Not all Cache players are handsome....Vegashotwheeler hands off to Swany300. Las Vegas, Nevada

Lake Havasu, Arizona.
I get it again from jdupyap so I can hand off to...

Blake from Portland. The hand off was made in Austin, Nevada.

Aaaannnnd after many travels the Cache makes it back to Utah, juspsnthru hands off to Day Walker in Taylorsville, then....

I get the Cache; Day Walker is out on a date, so I get it from his dad.

So now maybe the Cache will make it to the east coast...

A lot of hoop-la about a little plastic box, but not captured in the pictures and story is the fun and camaraderie of meeting fellow V-Strommers,  and of course also important is the flimsy excuse it gives us to go for a ride!

3 comments:

Trobairitz said...

I think this is such a great idea. Not only does it bring other Strom riders together for a meeting, but to put little trinkets inside is so cool.

Tarsnakes Down Under said...

Hey Ken

'Pass the parcel'on a grand scale and a darn good excuse for enthusiasts to ride and meet.
Cheers Jules.

Ken said...

Trobairitz - Thanks! A "Brilliant" to whoever was the original person to think it up.

Jules - It's also fun to watch it as it moves around the country.
Thanks for reading!