"I saw something else on the horizon too. It started as a little black speck on the road, seeming to swerve now and then from one side to another. It emitted a strange noise that at first was scarcely to be heard, but increased until it reverberated indefinitely from the bare angular mountain ranges.
It was a motor-cycle!"
- C.K. Shepherd
We rode a short ways from Barstow to the Calico Ghost Town, a reconstructed mining town. There we were met by our friend Greg, who took us on a geologic tour on the way to his house. We stopped by the side of the highway to see the San Andreas fault, and pulled off to walk around some rock formations that have been used as a backdrop for old westerns.
Greg introduced us to the California phenomenon of lane-splitting, wherein one actually drives a motorcycle between the rows of traffic. California is the only state that allows it, as far as I know, and the cars actually get out of the way to allow us through.
After a comfortable night at Greg's house, we went to the Malcolm Smith's motorcycle shop, and Long Beach BMW, where we met another friend, also named Greg. After lunch the two Gregs lead us up to Signal Hill for a view of the city, then we got underway for a late start up the Pacific Coast Highway towards San Francisco.
"Never at any time have I seen public highways so completely covered with motor cars." --C.K. Shepherd
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