Our Story
The Short Version
I'm Matt. In 2017, I left my corporate accounting career and spent seven months riding a motorcycle across 40 states and 35,000 miles. Somewhere along the way, I found my wife. She brought cats. The cats became road cats. And now the four of us travel the country together.
This isn't a travel blog run by someone who took one trip. This is a life.
The Ride That Changed Everything
In 2009, I started riding motorcycles and fell in love with America's secondary highways. By 2016, I was writing product reviews and contributing to BMW Riders Association's magazine, On the Level. In 2017, I was elected to their Board of Trustees.
But the real story started when I quit my corporate job and pointed the bike toward the horizon. Seven months, 40 states, 35,000 miles. The kind of trip that rewires how you think about life.
Meeting My Wife on the Road
I met her during the journey. She was her own kind of adventurer. We kept traveling together, and she brought along two cats who turned out to be natural-born road warriors.
Ivy and Ringo: The Road Cats
Ivy has been traveling since mid-2021. Ringo joined the crew in September 2022. Together, they've covered 50,000+ miles across approximately 25 states. They've slept in hotels, camped in state parks, and stared out car windows at landscapes most house cats will never see.
Where We Are Now
We're based in the Charlotte, NC area when we're not moving. I still work in accounting — it funds the adventures — and this site is where we share everything we've learned about traveling with cats, planning extended road trips, and living a life that doesn't fit in a cubicle.
What Cherish the Ride Means
It started as a motorcycle blog. It evolved because life evolved. The ride isn't just a motorcycle anymore — it's the whole journey. The cats in the backseat, my wife navigating, the next campground, the next state line. Cherish all of it.
— Matt