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Tag Archives: Crazy Stories

Ten years ago this week…

21 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by Spice Jones in Beautiful Things, Jones' Memories, Life With Chris, Motorcycles, My Shady Past, The Good Life, Travel

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Adventures, Crazy Stories, KLR 650, Motorcycles, My Amazing Husband, The Great Outdoors, Things I love, travel

Celebrating the 10 year anniversary of our motorcycle trip to South America.

On Berthoud Pass in Colorado celebrating the 10 year anniversary of our motorcycle trip through North and South America.

On June 17, 2003, Chris and I locked up our homes in Atlanta and set off on an 8 month motorcycle adventure of a lifetime. This week, to commemorate the accomplishment (and to put a little fuel on our wanderlust), we put some grease under Breezy’s skirt and pulled out the bikes for an epic ride through our beloved Colorado Rockies. It was a beautiful day that brought back so many of the amazing memories Chris and I made together ten years ago.


Some of what we have done has already been forgotten but I clearly remember Tuesday June 17, 2003 because it was the morning we left. Walking out the door was very difficult but within minutes the distractions of being on the road took over and the trip had begun. Yes there are still tears and I miss my family dearly but looking back I can’t understand why it was so difficult to get it together. What sounded crazy a year ago now makes perfect sense.

Check in when you can and drop us a line to let us know what you think.

-Chris and Spice
Meet Breezy, a KLR 650 with the attitude of an eleven year old b*tch. Excuse the crazy hair, on this particular morning we had been on a ferry in pretty rough seas for over 5 hours. I was gearing up for a pretty aggressive departure from the boat (crashing waves on a small cement ramp while the boat kept washing away from the ramp... Breezy decided not to start when it was our turn to unload. Chris' bike is behind Breezy with the yellow bag.

Meet Breezy, a KLR 650 with the attitude of an eleven year old b*tch. Excuse the crazy hair, we spent the night on this ferry and it was pretty rough seas…we also had to sleep in our clothes. At this particular moment I was freaking out because we were having to unload via a narrow cement ramp that kept disappearing as the boat listed to and from in the crashing waves. Needless to say (to those who followed our trip), Breezy decided not to start when it was our turn to unload, sending my nerves to DEF CON 1. She looks huge in this photo but if you look closely you’ll see that Chris’ bike is behind Breezy.

Today (6/21/2013) I want to introduce you to Breezy. From here I was thinking I’ll repost all of our “website updates” – because blogs didn’t exist at the time – from the actual trip.  You’ll have to forgive the simplicity of it all, website technology was pretty new and cyber opportunities were pretty limited after we left the states.

Until next time here are a few photos from the trip – enjoy!

Spice Jones, KLR 650, Honduras

Aug, 2003. This is at the border of Honduras and Nicaragua. These little guys go to school in the afternoon so that they can sell their mothers’ baked goods in the morning. After the initial shock of seeing a woman on a motorcycle they finally gathered enough courage to start asking questions about the war with Iraq. They thought the fighting was taking place in North America and they were curious to know if we had seen any “war” while on the road.

Spice Jones riding in Patagonia on her KLR 650

December, 2003. This is in the northern part of Patagonia on the Chilean side of South America. Breathtaking!

This is in southern Argentina. The trees in this area were burned down in the late 40's to make room for thousands of Germans leaving Germany after the war. It was a wonderful little crossroads so we decided to stop for lunch.

Dec 2003, southern Argentina. The trees in this area were burned down in the late 40’s to make room for thousands of Germans leaving Germany after the war. It was a precious little crossroads of laundry hanging on the lines and horses grazing in the yards. We decided it was the perfect stop for our daily picnic.

More to come!

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The 2013 Dakar Rally Is Here!

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by Spice Jones in Jones' Memories, Motorcycles, The Good Life, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Adventures, Crazy Stories, My Amazing Husband, New Year's, Things I love

'07 Dakar Rally, Portimao Portugal

Day 2 of the ’07 Dakar Rally. Early morning in Portimao Portugal. This would be the last time I’d see Chris before the finish line 15 days later…and about 20 lbs lighter (Chris, not me).

It’s that time of year again! As many of you know the Dakar Rally holds a pretty big place in our hearts. Not only is Chris one of less than 20 North Americans to finish the race, he is also one of the last to have crossed the line in the rally’s birthplace, Dakar Senegal. It was a crazy adventure filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows – for both of us. And we couldn’t be more proud of the accomplishment. Our hearts are still heavy from losing a dear friend but we couldn’t be more grateful for the lifelong friendships that were formed during that time. Here is a link to Chris’ Dakar Journal.

Congratulations to all of the racers who have made it to the start of this year’s Dakar in Lima Peru, you’ve already won half the battle!

Chris and Steve at the finish of the '07 Dakar Rally. This would be the last time the race finishes in Dakar. After terrorist threats to kidnap the North American racers in both '07 and '08 the Rally was moved to South America.

Chris and Steve at the finish of the ’07 Dakar Rally in Dakar Senegal. We didn’t know it at the time but this would be the last finish in Dakar Senegal. After terrorists threatened to kidnap the North American racers in both ’07 and ’08 the Rally was moved to South America and it has been there ever since.

Spice Jones on a camel in the Sahara

And here’s me taking a sorority photo with a camel in the Sahara! Delta Delta Delta can we help ya help ya help ya?

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Today In Boulder – Bear Trapped In Boulder Man’s Car, Leaves It Totaled

01 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by Spice Jones in Atlanta or Boulder?, Makes me chuckle, Today In Boulder

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Tags

Crazy Stories, Good Chuckle, That's so Boulder, Today In Boulder

I can’t make this up people. This is my new favorite Boulder story, not because of the story (which is pretty great) but because of all the comments the article received. Here’s the story as it’s reported in The Daily Camera… the comments follow.

Photo via The Daily Camera

“What do you do if you find a bear trapped in your vehicle? Open the door.

At least that was the advice Colorado Parks and Wildlife gave a Sugarloaf Mountain resident when confronted with that situation early Friday.

In an interview with 7News, Taylus, who refused to give his last name, said he heard his car horn honking at 3 a.m. Friday but ignored the disturbance until 4:30 a.m., when he went outside to investigate. When he looked inside his Honda Element, he was shocked to see a bear apparently trapped inside the vehicle.

“We see them here all the time,” he told the station. “But this is the first time they’ve gotten in the car.”

Taylus called Parks and Wildlife, he said, and the officer on duty told him that, if he felt up to it, he should open the door and let the bear exit the vehicle on its own. So he did — jumping into his nearby Toyota truck after opening the door — and the bear ran off into the woods, the TV station reported.

The bear was less than kind to the Honda, tearing the seats to shreds, destroying the instrument panel and pooping on the floor, but the man said he’s not mad at the animal.

“The car’s totaled,” he told 7News. “Hopefully the bear just gets left alone to continue to roam around and harass people.”

He said he did not have any food in the car but did have a used garbage bag inside.”

And now a word from the locals:

“So how does a bear end up trapped in a car in the first place?”- bherenow

“The bear just wasn’t in its element.” – Ur_8Wyrb

“looks better than my brother’s car” – Chris_Pincher

“Good thing Taylus didn’t give his last name, as there are so many Taylus’ that live near Boulder, in Sugarloaf.  Who lives in a remote area, hears his car horn honking at 3 am, and ignores it for 90 minutes. How could that possibly be normal?” – JohnFromBeyond

“He said he did not have any food in the car but did have a used garbage bag inside.” A used garbage bag? Really? The bear may have helped the situation… ” – onceanative

“Well, now we’ve located the only person on the planet who lays in bed for 1.5 hours while someone (or something) is downstairs in their car honking the horn. I’ll have what he’s smoking.” – johnvincent112

“Don’t lock your car doors at night people! Leave the keys in the ignition! Then there will be far more entertaining stories here with the typical high-school newspaper grammar and spelling we all expect from a rag like DC!” – johnvincent112

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Today in Boulder…

27 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by Spice Jones in Atlanta or Boulder?, Makes me chuckle, The Great Outdoors, Today In Boulder

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Americana, Crazy Stories, Good Chuckle, That's so Boulder, The Great Outdoors, Today In Boulder

When in Atlanta I keep tabs on Boulder through the Daily Camera. I know, I know, but I figure its facts are close enough when it comes to the “issues” of The Bubble.

You can imagine the disappointment of opening up this morning’s edition of journalistic gold and realizing I’m away during one of my favorite Boulder traditions, Spring Bear Management. The bears come down from the mountains to break hibernation and enjoy the first fruits of Spring (read, raid garbage cans, pillage bird feeders, break into houses and rip the hinges off of refrigerators while the family is locked in the bathroom) and the Boulder City Open Spaces Rangers do their best to devise plans that will not only condition the bears from their favorite activities but that will also appease the environmentalist who just want to let the bears do their thing, cause after all, “WE are the guests in THEIR home”.

Any who, as I watch the management schemes unfold I’m always reminded of Wiley Coyote’s sketches for trapping Road Runner and can’t resist the chuckle. Some of them get pretty elaborate. Do the Bear traps ever work? Well, it’s hard to say. The success rate for conditioning the “worst offenders” (those bears who continue to come back again and agian) hangs just above nill but in Boulder, success is measured in how WE feel so I’m guessing (by the graceful fall of a 800 lb bear onto a 10″ gymnastic mat designed to catch a 98 lb girl) that this attempt was very successful!

Enjoy the ride to Crested Butte, Mr. Bear! I’ll be looking forward to seeing you and your appetite again next Spring!

Spice Jones

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Vanilla Kanye Ice

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by Spice Jones in Americana, Brilliant!!, Travel

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Tags

Americana, Atlanta Life, Crazy Stories, Good Chuckle, travel

I’m putting my blog timeline out of whack with this post but I have to share this fabulousness with the world.  Tuesday’s trip back to Boulder was a tough one. First, to prepare for the snowstorm that was hitting Denver (and because they wouldn’t fit in my carry-on and I refuse to pay baggage fees) I was in Atlanta’s 85 degree heat wearing wool socks and a winter fleece. Next, I arrived at the airport just as the tornadoes were pummeling Texas so all air traffic was thrown into a tailspin and flights out of Atlanta were rescheduled with crazy long delays. Lastly, and others clearly agreed so don’t go thinking I’m the bitch here, there was a rather large number of shitty little kids and their screaming mothers waiting to board the flight. Needless to say the vibe at the airport was punchy.

So about 20 min into our two hour delay, Vanilla Kanye Ice shows up wearing his double hats with a pair of sunglasses ’round back and walking with a swag designed to make his Oh-limpic chain swing from pit to pit…oh it gets better!

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I’m Spice Jones,

a Southerner living in Boulder, Co. I write romance novels, I travel, I garden, I cook, and, when I can lure him close enough with sweet words and tuna, I torment the neighbor's cat.

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