But it's not movie magic. As difficult as it is for some to comprehend, these riders are on a quest for peace and solitude. The world is theirs and, better yet, no one is around and no one seems to care about what they do or where they go. No signs, no fences, empty. California's population is one-half the size it is now, the Eagles released Hotel California, the Vietnam War is recently over, the Endangered Species Act is in its infancy.
Life is good.
Somewhere in the Southern California Desert Southern California has ballooned to some 20 million people and is still giving birth. What once were agricultural fields have been replaced by subdivisions and strip malls. Creeping development within rural areas has begun to place riders in conflict with homeowners. Implementation of the Desert Protection Act is in full swing. It's not so easy anymore.