On the road again: Marc and Becky Fulgham log thousands of miles on their motorcycle, with goal of touring all 50 states

Marc Fulgham has had a motorcycle since he was 14. His wife, Becky, had never been on a motorcycle before she met him.

"I was a bad influence," he teases.

The pair were in college, and she was no match for his rakish allure. More than 37 years later, hopping on their Honda Gold Wing touring bike is still one of their favorite activities. They put in about 15,000 miles per summer in pursuit of their ultimate goal: ride in all 50 states.

"It's a wonderful sense of freedom," Becky says. "It got me hooked right away."

Marc and Becky say they ride because it's the best way to experience the open road.

Marc and Becky Fulgham have cruised across the country on their Honda Gold Wing cruiser. (Glenn Landberg)

"When you're riding a motorcycle, you get a different perspective on how deep canyons are, how tall mountains are. Because you are able to see everything," Marc says. "We lived in Colorado for two years, and it's a whole new way to see the mountains."

Becky agrees: "It's the only way to see the mountains," she says.

They've seen Yellowstone National Park, Seattle and the Great Smoky Mountains from the top of their 1800cc, six-cylinder, 900-pound torpedo of a bike.

"The Gold Wing is the epitome of touring bikes as far as comfort goes," Becky says. "It's a very smooth ride and it's also very powerful."

Powerful enough for the Fulghams to hitch up a small trailer on some especially lengthy trips.

"It's gotta be big and heavy if you're going to be doing a lot of miles," Marc explains. "There are things that you don't even really think about when you're in a car, but beat you up on a smaller bike."

Marc is a dedicated Gold Wing owner. It's bigger than the Honda 350s he rode in high school, and he now owns two.

"I've had a Gold Wing since they came out in '75," he says. "I still have it, but now I also have a 2007 that we ride."

Over the years, the pair have learned what they like in a destination and what they don't.

Marc is the driver on the trips, Becky the navigator.

"We're very particular about where we go," she explains.

Marc teases her, adding, "She's not interested in driving, but she does like telling me where to go."

She laughs good-naturedly. It's true. But Michigan and Wisconsin, for instance, were unexpected treats.

"First of all, there was the cool weather," she says. "And there were a lot of little places; places that weren't as commercialized."

The pair struggles to recall a bad trip until Marc finally remembers what it was like riding a motorcycle through the wrong flyover state.

"Oh, Montana," he groans.

They were headed back from a jaunt along the Pacific coast on their way to a Honda Gold Wing convention in Idaho.

"There wasn't much there and we got caught in a crosswind that was just awful," Marc says. "Up there in those wide open spaces, the wind can be really dangerous."

They much prefer the areas up around Fredricktown, Missouri, when they stay local on the weekends.

"We like hills and twisty roads," Becky says.

Their shared love of the scenic route has been a special bond that they've been able to share all over the country.

"I think it does bring us closer together," Becky says. "Not all couples could be sitting together for two weeks 24/7. You're kind of joined at the hip when you're on a motorcycle."

That's why Becky and Marc's Gold Wing isn't likely to stay parked for too long. They'll just be taking the scenic route around Montana.