LestISmiteThee's TB Tattoo + Patch

Congrats, you found me!

... And you might qualify for LestISmiteThee's first challenge cache:

☣ Human Trackable Challenge ☣

I'm Nick and Gally's (LestISmiteThee) Travel Bug Tattoo and Patch (formerly known as Traveling Geopatch).

I track the total Geo-miles they've traveled since finding their 1st Geocache, 9, 11 - Fort Ord Dunes Numbered Remains, in Monterey Bay, CA on 07 Apr 2010.  50,000+ Geo-miles achieved 18 May 2016!

Gally transformed me into on 15 April 2015 for their 5-year Geo-anniversary and the 15-year anniversary of Geocaching!

Tattoo Element 1: Travel Bug. Clean black outline true to Groundspeak's signature Travel Bug Dog Tag design, not the slightly different TB versions seen on car decals. The traditional bar code design was ditched due to the fact that tattoo ink spreads over time, which would cause the lines to blur together years later in such a small tattoo.  PCB (circuit board) design inside the TB outline has five lines symbolizing LestISmiteThee's 5-year Geo-anniversary and six circles signifying the six places they lived during those five years.  The PCB design also gives the TB a more digital look, representing their online journey as well as their geographical journey.  Instead of the Chlorine Sans font used for TB tracking codes, Gally drew brush stroke letters in her own handwriting which could flow into Tattoo Element 4 (see below).

Tattoo Element 2: Compass. Gally custom-designed this clean black compass specifically for this tattoo, signifying that no matter when or where she is in the world, she's never lost. The backbone of the design are 15 circles representing the 15th anniversary of Geocaching. North and northeast represent Air and Spring. East and southeast represent Fire and Summer. South and southwest represent Earth and Fall. West and northwest represent Water and Winter.

Tattoo Element 3: World map. Clean black outline from a NASA satellite image for accuracy. The tattoo artist took some creative liberties to ensure all the lines would age well, such as changing or removing some islands and peninsulas. Travel has always been an essential part of Gally's life. As of the time of this tattoo, she's moved 18 times, lived in 9 states and 2 countries, and has visited most U.S. states and 3 countries. If she one day fulfills her dream of visiting outer space, the Earth will always be with her.

Tattoo Element 4: Brush stroke hawks. After designing and placing the three previous tattoo elements on paper and in Photoshop, Gally decided one more element was necessary to connect them so they wouldn't seem like three separate tattoos. An elegant brush stroke pulls free from a letter in the tracking code, swoops behind the world map, and soars over the compass in the form of two hawks, symbolizing Nick and Gally. The brush stroke represents Gally's creative expressions and interpretations of the world, boldly flowing forth yet unafraid of changing direction, and evolving through freedom, through Geocaching, through travel, and through her own sense of self. See Cleopatra's Roost for one of the inspirations of this element.

Please visit LestISmiteThee's profile to see their:
* Geocaching story
* international travel photos
* trackables collection
* souvenir gallery
* firsts, Geo-Achievements, milestones, FTFs, faves, stats, and goals!

The patch is usually attached to Gally's main bag next to other patches and pin badges.  The Travel Bug tattoo is on Gally's right forearm alongside a world map and a compass.  The entire design was custom-created by Gally herself (see photos) >>>

Posting photos of this tattoo in your discovery log is highly encouraged, but please edit out the tracking code first.  Logs and/or photos with the tracking code will be deleted. If you see a photo of this tattoo anywhere other than this page, please notify me.