Straight roads are fine if you are in a car. You can go fast on straight roads, and probably do, since they are also often boring. Straight roads are for getting you from one place to another.

Curvy roads, on the other hand, are part of the journey, and the enjoyment of traveling. As a motorcyclist, this is a given; maybe not so for others. Someone wise (although the author is unknown to me) once said

“Four wheels move the body, but two wheels move the soul”.

There was a time when I was not a motorcyclist. It seems like riding has always been a part of my life, but that’s not really so. I took my first rides as a passenger when I was in my teens, but the experience didn’t really stick. But, even before I rode, I loved traveling the curvy back roads and blue highways. A destination wasn’t really required. Fortunately, my soul mate (now husband) enjoyed the same thing. Our first vacation together was a two week ramble around the southwest in a Jeep Cherokee, after dating for two months. Suffice it to say it went swimmingly.

Fast forward to 1997: About a month after our wedding, my husband found a used Honda Helix scooter and we proceeded to learn to ride on two wheels, together. We took turns riding and being the passenger, which is something our friends still laugh about. A few months later, he graduated to a ‘real” motorcycle, a Honda Magna 750. A few months after that, I graduated to my own Honda Shadow 600. After a minor incident which involved me, my Shadow, a sharp turn and a broken pinky finger, we did the right thing, and took the motorcycle safety course. Granted, we were no experts, but we were now ‘motorcyclists’. And our education and awareness has continued to grow over these many years. Please note I do not use the term bikers. We are motorcyclists; trained, protected with the right gear, and aware of the risks and responsibilities of riding on two wheels. {End of rant!}

Oh and our motorcycles have evolved over the years as well. We currently ride the Swiss army knife of motorcycles, the BMW R1200GS (me) and the R1200GSA (hub). It only took me 9 tries to get the right bike…he got there quicker, he’s on his 5th. These motorcycles can go across country, and across streams and forest service roads, so they are perfect for our idea of travel.

This curvyroads lifestyle and mindset has become central to our lives together, and seemed the natural choice for my blog name. If given the option and the time, I will always take the curvy and scenic route. We have had many wonderful adventures that started with “I wonder where that road goes?” A destination is not required, although we have been known to ride 200 miles for lunch. 🙂

The other aspect of our motorcycling is exploring the world on two wheels, whether near or far. We have ridden to destinations as varied as the Alps (ok, we flew there, then rode!), the Rockies, the Black Hills & Badlands, the great plains, New England & Eastern Canada, the Appalachians (countless trips, as this is our backyard), Texas & Louisiana, even Florida (where most roads are straight) and everything in between on our motorcycle trips, limited only by our time off from work.

My dream is to be able to document our journeys full time at some point, because there is SO much more to see. This is the beginning of trying to realize that dream.