Blind Curves: A Woman, a Motorcycle, and a Journey up and down the West Coast to Reinvent Herself

A widowed woman finds new life on the road in a memoir that is "much more than a motorcycle diary. It is about overcoming loss and reinventing oneself" ( Library Journal ). Recently widowed and feeling adrift in a drab, uninspired life, fifty-seven-year-old Linda Crill had tried to follow all the one-size-fits-all advice she could find—and she was still miserable. Then, out of the blue, she had an idea. Trading her corporate suits for motorcycle leathers, Linda committed herself to a 2,500-mile road trip down America's Pacific Northwest coast on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Along with a group of fellow travelers, Linda undertook a white-knuckled, exhilarating road trip from Vancouver, Canada, to the wine country of Mendocino, California. Along the way she encountered washed-out mountain roads, small town hospitality, humming redwoods, and acceptance from gentle, caring souls who just happened to have tattoos and piercings. By heading into the unknown and rounding the "blind curve," she faced her fears, revisited her core beliefs, and discovered not only a broader range of possibilities on the horizon, but also the fuel to embrace them and make them happen. Funny, irreverent, and extraordinarily honest, Blind Curves is "a must-read for baby boomers hungry to change the direction of the second half of their lives" ( Long Rider Magazine ). After months of following one-size-fits-all advice for a fifty-seven-year-old widow, Linda Crill is still miserable, until she makes a rebellious, spur-of-the-moment decision : she trades her corporate suits for motorcycle leathers and commits herself to a 2,500-mile road trip down America's Pacific Northwest coast on a Harley. The problem is that she doesn't know how to ride and has only thirty days to learn. Four short weeks later, Linda joins two men and a woman for a white-knuckle, exhilarating road trip along the West Coast from Vancouver, Canada, to the wine country of Mendocino, California. Along the way she encounters washed-out mountain roads, small-town hospitality, humming redwoods, and acceptance from gentle souls who happen to have tattoos and piercings. By heading into the unknown - the blind curve - she faces her fears, tests old beliefs, and discovers not only a broader horizon of possibilities to use in building the next phase of her life but also the fuel to make it happen. Funny, irreverent, and extraordinarily honest, it is the perfect read for people looking forward to re-inventing themselves and anyone asking, "Why not?"--Inside front cover After months of following one-size-fits-all advice for a fifty-seven-year-old widow, Linda Crill is still miserable, until she makes a rebellious spur-of-the-moment decision: she trades her corporate suits for motorcycle leathers and commits herself to a 2,500-mile road trip down America's Pacific Northwest coast on a Harley. The problem—she doesn't know how to ride and has only thirty days to learn. Four short weeks later, Linda joins two men and a woman for a white-knuckled, exhilarating road trip along the west coast from Vancouver, Canada, to the wine country of Mendocino, California. Along the way she encounters washed-out mountain roads, small town hospitality, humming redwoods, and acceptance from gentle souls who happen to have tattoos and piercings. By heading into the unknown—the blind curve—she faces her fears, tests old beliefs, and discovers not only a broader horizon of possibilities to use in building the next phase of her life, but also the fuel to make it happen. Funny, irreverent, and extraordinarily honest, it's the perfect read for people looking for ways to reinvent themselves, and anyone asking: “What now?" Linda Crill: Linda Crill is a sought-after executive, consultant, and speaker who has worked with Citigroup, Cadbury-Mott's, Goldman Sachs, and Marriott International Inc., as well as many other Fortune 100 companies, universities, non-profits, and government departments and agencies. Crill lectures and writes on how to manage change and reinvent yourself, your life, and your business. She is the mother of three grown women who whole-heartedly support her non-traditional path to rediscovering zest for life. She lives in the Washington, DC, area, and travels regularly to Philadelphia, New York, Toronto, and San Diego