The Girl Traveled with Her Dog to More Than 90 Countries Around the World
Content creator Jess Stone and Moxie, a German Shepherd, are on a journey through 90 countries.
Sitting behind the big bike of Jess Stone, a Canadian, traveling the world is Moxie, a German shepherd dog.
It's not every day that you come across a woman walking by the side of the road with her German Shepherd dog sitting in the back. So it's no surprise that Jess Stone and her dog Moxie attract twice as much interest as the others. "Whenever someone passed by and saw us, they would pick up their phone and take a picture of Moxie and me. Someone staggers the steering wheel trying to take a picture. It's so cute and funny," she said.
Stone and Moxie, weighing
34 kg, are on a journey through nearly 90 countries along Central, South, and
North America and then on to Africa, Europe, and Asia. They have been on the
road since March 2022. Her husband, Greg, was also with her as she left behind
and carried her luggage. "I'm always ahead because I want to get over the
obstacle first," Stone explained why they didn't go parallel. Stone and
her husband have been married for more than 8 years.
Stone's first motorcycle ride was on the side streets of Liberia, where she and her husband lived more than 10 years ago. "He wasn't very patient with me," she said of the memory of her husband teaching driving. After learning to walk, the couple had an 8-month motorbike trip from North to South America. A few years later, they moved to Guatemala and welcomed Moxies.
"It chose me. It lay at my feet and was just waiting for me to reciprocate," Stone recounts the moment she first met Moxie in a nearby town.
Once everything was ready, Stone contacted the global nonprofit Girl Up. She wants to raise money for this organization that supports women. Stone's goal is $100,000.
Bringing Moxie along makes things all the more special for Stone. "I often look at Moxie in the motorcycle mirror. Its head is pointed straight ahead, sometimes resting its muzzle on my shoulder. I feel happy when Moxie gets to experience everything."
Traveling the world with a dog can be difficult. They rarely stay in hotels because many places do not accept dogs and switch to overnight camping.
Before departing, Stone signed up for a training course to ensure he had the necessary skills to drive the difficult sections. Still, she was nervous as she walked along the Dempster Highway, a long gravel road in Canada. She was afraid of a collision, but everything went smoothly. Even so, she is still haunted by the fact that there will be trouble on the road
Couples are not always together. On some journeys, there are different paths. "We've always wanted to try different routes. We'll see each other later. I'm independent in my way."
The biggest incident they had with the car was in May when it leaked oil. They had to buy a replacement because if they fix the car, they need to rebuild the engine. The engine replacement is "very expensive," according to Stone.
One of the things that
impressed her about the trip was stopping at Girl Up's clubs and sharing her
story. Camping in the Arctic Ocean is another fun experience. Here, they met an
elk crossing the road, a grizzly bear. "Moxie shivered when she saw those
animals. It was very exciting. We even went fishing together, which was
impressive," she said.
When they reached South Africa, they continued to Egypt, then Greece before circumnavigating Europe, passing through Turkey, and Central Asia. On the next leg, they will go to India, Malaysia, and then back. Stone estimates they'll be gone for at least another 2.5 years. And Moxie continues to be an inspiration. Thanks to it, Stone didn't get tired. Every time we stopped for gas, everyone would get out of the car to look at Moxie. They usually say the first sentence, "Oh my God, this dog wears goggles."
Post a Comment