RUFFLY

09/19/2024

Whimsy gets handsy when we ride……or maybe “paws-on” is the nicer way to say it. Anyway, each hold, tap, embrace, and nudge conveys a different message of excitement, surprise, or it’s time to use the bathroom. The tricky part is interpreting her signals correctly. It would be a lot simpler if we gave her a Cardo Systems intercom and she could use her words – if only!..📍 Posted from Porto Velho riverside.. 🎶Shout it Out by Midnight RiotSyncID: MB01NCKTMG5MLNV...

08/07/2024

Greg, Whimsy and I rode the Trampoline of Death road in Colombia.

It’s 80 km of unpaved road throughout the Andes with 18 curves per kilometer, on a single lane road.

In our case, it was pouring rain so the unpaved road turned into a muddy mess. The route ranges from 600 to 2800 meters above sea level with huge dropoffs - many of which still don’t have guardrails.

We started In Pasto, Colombia and made our way to the start of the infamous stretch - but first, a cup of coffee!

Whimsy was quickly decked out in her K9 Moto Rainfly to protect against the rain and cold.

The first part of the road had decent traction but it soon turned to mud with numerous water crossings caused by the overflowing waterfalls. A beautiful area, that I wish I could have ridden through during a bone dry afternoon!

We made it through with a few close calls from oncoming truck traffic. We stopped at one of the only turnouts for a round of catch and then continued on.

But 4 hours later, we ended in Mocoa where we promptly went to a local vet to prepare Whimsy’s documents to cross the border into Ecuador!

🎗️Thank you to Tractive for helping make GoRUFFLY Around the World possible!

❗Use GORUFFLY40 for 40% off at Tractive.com!
..🎶 New Light (With Oohs & Ahhs) - Instrumental by ADELINE RIVERSyncID: MB01HRZNFSYXFYF

07/28/2024

Had a wonderful time sharing stories from our recent trek across the Darien Gap with Jim Martin of Adventure Rider Radio. Hope you’ll give it a listen!

https://adventureriderradio.com/adventure-rider-radio-episodes/2024/7/25/go-ruffly-across-the-darien-gap-jess-and-greg-stone

Go Ruffly Across the Darien Gap

Jess and Greg Stone follow a route that only those with little choice would go willingly to begin their motorcycle journey into South America.

The Darien Gap is one of the most dangerous routes in the Americas.

This week on Adventure Rider Radio.

Listen in any podcast app or visit the Adventure Rider Radio website. Link below in comments.

07/10/2024

TROLLS.

“The best thing about travel is the people you meet.”

That’s the most common reason people give for what they love most about travel.

I believe that the people who say it believe it, but it always leaves me grappling with a couple nagging questions:

Are the quality of people you encounter abroad somehow better than those at home?

Or are you better as a traveler, which draws out the better in them?

Maybe neither or both, but I think there’s something very human if less polite at play beneath the surface.

A traveler represents something new and different, which elicits interest.

Interest causes people to pay attention and ask questions.

Now, when, in contrast, does that ever happen in everyday, ordinary life?

In ordinary life, you can attract and hold people’s attention only by the hardest, and still they will turn the topic towards themselves at the first breath you take.

But, as a stranger who is different in looks and manner, just being yourself might be interesting enough to tear someone’s attention from the flashing notifications on their phone.

And here’s the point:

What greater dopamine hit to the human metaphysic than receiving other people’s attention just for being yourself and moving through the day?

So, when someone asks what’s the best thing about travel, I believe they mean it when they say “It’s the people you meet.”

But, I wonder if what we really mean is: “It’s that people show interest in me!”

It’s not a polite thing to suggest.

But I think about it often because both Greg and I are quite the opposite.

As dedicated introverts, we’re like trolls under the bridge.

Only not the kind you see in the fairytales because we’re happy to be alone and yet never grumpy if you engage with us – we’re just not likely to initiate the interaction.

Which is why one of the reasons we love to travel with Whimsy – not the best or only, mind you – is because she breaks the ice and elicits interactions.

Through her extroversion we’ve met amazing people who have made our lives and travels immeasurably richer.

But ‘for the people you meet’ isn’t why we travel.

It would be a polite, politic answer to give, but not an honest one.

06/22/2024

If you’re curious what it is like to cross the Darien Gap on foot, watch our 5-part Across the Darien miniseries.

You’ll see how we got the permissions, the SENAFRONT patrol that accompanied us and the hundreds of migrants we encountered along the way.

We are very proud of this series and I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy it!

***We ride from the U.S to Panama in Parts 1-3 and the Darien trek covers Part 4 and 5!

The GoRUFFLY pack welcomes puppy Whimsy, trains her to ride on a motorcycle, and then journeys south through the U.S., Mexico, and Central America to trek ac...

06/14/2024

STORYTELLING.

After months of sharing this journey, we came to a realization.

We were telling the story before we knew what that story was.

Instead of raw and authentic, our weekly realtime episodes felt out of character to how we do things.

To everything else – these posts we write, every RUFFLY collar we make, and K9 Moto Cockpit we build – we try to live by a simple rule:

Do less but better.

But vlogging led us down the opposite path.

We tried all the usual techniques: clickbait titles, trending keywords, and preposterous thumbnails.

Worst of all, feeding the rapacious Algorithm means posting more frequently and producing more publishable minutes, rather than crafting a better story.

So, we went quiet quite simply because we didn’t have something to say.

That is, the story, which we were living out over the long months and hard, dust, muddy miles wasn’t ready to tell.

We trained Whimsy to ride in her Cockpit, traveled through the U.S., Mexico, and Central America, trekked across the Darien Gap, and then reached the foothills outside a small village in Colombia.

That’s where we ended the Across the Darien leg of this journey and had the opportunity to reflect on the most important question:

What story did we live to get here?

Rebounding from the double-barbed tragedy of Greg’s accident and Moxie’s passing.

Then opening wounded hearts to a new puppy to discover her discovering the world as we rolled riot on two wheels and four paws.

And then summoning our moxie more than ever before or imagined to tackle the challenge of crossing the Darien together.

We think the result is a story much better told and more worthy of telling. It’s more modest and far grander than anything we’ve shared before.

It spans eight months and 12,000 kilometers of this still ongoing journey as we try to live extraordinary together every day by making our home and running a business wherever and everywhere we are.

It’s a story in five parts, told as honestly and thoughtfully as we can, and true to our north star of doing less but better.

*** All 5 parts of the GoRUFFLY Across the Darien miniseries are live on YouTube. So watch now or binge this weekend!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNib4j0pHl43Xt-v326Py5HYjoDS-xKly

05/08/2024

The Knotted Collar is made to go everywhere and look amazing.

The handwoven cotton fabric is soft on your dog’s fur, naturally dyed, colorfast, and covers sturdy industrial nylon webbing. Skilled indigenous women artisans create the elegant, knotted band over 4 to 8 hours in small, home workshops.

05/01/2024

Just because your dog might plop down and snooze wherever they are doesn’t mean that a comfortable bed isn’t just what they need.

It’s a simple equation really, and it works for dogs as well as humans:

Greater comfort → Better sleep → Less irritable → More active

That’s why we think the TenderPaw TREKKER Bedroll is one of the keys to having a happy, healthy, active dog – at home and everywhere you go together.
🛍️ TenderPaw TREKKER Bedroll in Badlands

05/01/2024

NAMES.

She had a truly marvelous name.

We named her in hopes of who she would become, and also that it might help kindle boldness in my wimpy belly.

It was a lot to live up to, but it turned out to be a named that suited her perfectly.

Like a flower dress matched with combat boots and brass knuckles, she wore it brashly and effortlessly right from the start.

Never effortless for me, she taught me to follow her example so that, over the years, my shadow grew taller.

I can’t explain exactly how but I’m certain it’s her name that helped make me strong enough to ride us to the Arctic Ocean together.

Thus was Moxie, which is a good name that she made better: the best you can hope for with names.

Now is the time of Whimsy.

Another hard path for me to follow towards becoming a lighter more joyful version of myself, but likewise a name that suits her flawlessly.

And though they couldn’t wear their names better, Whimsy, like her bareknuckle predecessor, has a million fitting nicknames too.

Wrecking Ball was the first of these, given because of how she would stir and rise throughout the night, throw herself against the opposite side of the metal crate, nearly knocking it from atop the dresser, before collapsing back into deep slumber.

After that came Feather Duster for the most delicate way she wags her tail in excitement, clearing nearby surfaces of mugs, cups, keys, coins, and once even a smoldering cigar in a dirty ashtray.

White Devil is another nickname, given when she first began teething and reaffirmed daily each time she blasts through a mesh door or she chews firewood down to kindling.

One of Moxie’s many names found its way into black ink on Greg’s forearm and surely one of Whimsy’s will too.

But for now, today, we celebrate her first full year of life.

A year in which we traveled 20,000 kilometers with me and crossed a fearsome jungle.

A year that she chewed down to the marrow and slashed to ribbons by swinging her tail like a machete blade.

Happy birthday, Whimsy, and thank you for what you’ve taught me.

04/29/2024

Every dog deserves this extraordinary collar designed for the fashion runway and built for the great outdoors!
🛍️ Knotted Collar in Primrose Pink

04/27/2024

A dog bandana should be just that – a bandana – not a bulky, flowing cape or heavy, scratchy knitted throw.

It should be slender, low bulk, and super easy to wash. And, of course, it should look amazing too!
🛍️ New Horizons TREKKER Bandana in Wildflowers

04/25/2024

Go light, go far, and never go hungry with the travel kibble bag that’s built for backcountry adventures and designed for high street fashion.
🛍️ Kibble to Go Bag in Blackout

04/23/2024

Like you, we believe that every dog and their person deserve to have an extraordinary life together.

If sometimes the motivation is difficult to grab hold of, we think it all starts with having the right tools for the job – gear that’s rugged, stylish, and does good in the world.

Ultimately, inspiration is about living your values every day.

So, if your values include Runway Ready, Outdoor Tough, and Does Good – then you and your dog have a home with us!

🛍️ Knotted Collar

04/22/2024

RUFFLY gear is expertly made by skilled indigenous women artisans, tailors, and weavers in their own home workshops in the Guatemalan highlands.

Our artisans care for their families, earn a good living, and there are no long, dangerous commutes.

04/20/2024

Consciously crafted with Hands, Heart, and Soul.

We believe your dog’s outdoor gear is not like most things you buy.

It should to keep your beloved companion safe by your side – and celebrate the special bond you share to help inspire your extraordinary adventures together.
🛍️ Knotted Collar and Leash - Tailwinds Riptide Blue
🛍️ Only Paw Prints P**p Bag Holder - Seascape

04/18/2024

Like us, you probably believe that your dog’s best days are spent outdoors.

In that case, to get the most from those precious hours, your dog’s gear matters – and nothing so much as their collar.

🛍️ Knotted Collar

04/16/2024

We might be mere mortal humans but our furry superheroes need a stylish cape – or, better still, a slim, active-fitting dog bandana!

🛍️ New Horizons TREKKER Bandana