2011 Laughlin River Run and Beyond
Posted on 03. May, 2011 by Coach in Open Road
The annual Laughlin River Run marks the first of many major motorcycle runs held throughout the country. Held in late spring in the desert of Laughlin, Nevada, a mix of bikers, bike builders, vendors, and police converge on this otherwise small town for five days of pure fun.
Talley, Panman, Nick and I had put together a rather ambitious plan for Laughlin this year. We were ksu (kick stands up) at 6:00 on Friday morning, and the adventure began.
The road out through Victorville and Barstow was pretty uneventful. But by the time we reached Ludlow, the north winds had kicked up. Now I have ridden in just about all weather types. But one of the two weather phenomenons I hate most is wind! We rode at a good 45 degrees most of the rest of the way until we reached Needles. My big Ultra can get mighty heavy after awhile that way!
By the time we reached Needles, the wind had pretty well died down. We quickly made our way through Bullhead City, on the Arizona side of the river, and set up camp at Davis Campground.
There are 10,000 rooms at the various casinos and motels in Laughlin. The normal rate is somewhere between $29 – $69 per night. But during the Laughlin River Run, rates run from $150-$300 and more per night. We prefer to tent it, and Davis Campground is only $40 for the entire rally!
Once our base camp was set-up, it was off to Laughlin to check out the vendors and shows!
Traffic was still reasonably light downtown. But the estimates were for 30,000 to attend. the main site, Laughlinriverrun.com had already shutoff taking reservations as all the rooms had already been taken. We were expecting crowds to return after last years somewhat lower turnout.
We four kings moved quickly to our favorite vendors. Nick picked up a great deal from Hot Leathers on a pair of chaps and deerskin gauntlet gloves. He was going to need them on the second leg of our trip! I managed to find Vincent Cigars boot. A young man sat rolling cigars by hand. And a damn fine cigar it was, too!
Talley found his way to the Jack Daniels display. 
That’s Talley. Fine women or fine whiskey, and you can bet Talley will be lurking around somewhere.
Panman, of course, found his way to a different world. Heat exhaustion and a few adult beverages, and Panman was seeking shelter in a cooler clime. Wouldn’t you know that would have to be in the Edgewater Saloon and Casino!
By the time we rolled out of Laughlin, the crowds were steadily picking up. We had an early ksu time again, so it was chicken and beer back at the camp for us.
It is amazing how similar the desert wind and a freight train sound alike. As evening settled in, the wind picked up velocity. Somewhere through the night, a large branch broke free off of a nearby tent and nearly decimated the tent it fell on. Other tents were uprooted and rolling towards the river. Lots of excitement all around.
Morning came quickly, and we geared up for the second part of our great adventure. We were heading to the Grand Canyon.
The wind seemed to have settled down only slightly as we made our way through Kingman to Interstate 40. Temperatures were unusually cold for this time of the year.
It is always funny to watch others as they ride around Laughlin and Bullhead City. The desert can be very unpredictable, and yet many people just don’t seem to be prepared. We watched in amusement as other riders squirmed around on their bikes trying to stay warm in sub-60 degree temperatures while wearing only cutoffs, a tank top and sneakers. What were they thinking?
We made good time rolling east on the 40 towards Williams. Panman, Talley and I know Williams well. We have some fond memories of some good times there (see The Fools Run).
Once at Williams, we started down the Grand Canyon Highway towards the Grand Canyon. Temperatures were dropping fast, reaching below 40 degrees. Funny, there weren’t too many bikes on the road out here. Go figure.
You ever have one of those times when everyone wants your advice, but no one wants to listen to it? This was happening to me all weekend, and it was starting to get a little irritating. But the final straw came when we pulled into a Wendy’s to get something to warm us up. The guy at the counter took my order, and then like it was scripted, brought me something completely different. The guys just fell about the place, the joke was on me!
The Grand Canyon is majestic and inspiring, no matter what time of the year you go. Although it was cool, the wind was only a gently breeze now. The sky was clear without a cloud in sight. And the Grand Canyon was awesome.
With a 4 hour ride back, we weren’t able to stay as long as we would have liked. We made our way back to Bullhead City, and quickly found a place to get an adult beverage. The girls were out front washing bikes for Stripper Juice (great stuff).
Sometimes things just happen for no apparent reason. Such was the case when the bikini clad “Stripper Juice” girls decided to come in and pole dance for us. But for the life of me I will never understand what made Panman decide that 
he could do it better! Yup, there was Panman doing his best pole dance routine. This would have been best left to the privacy of his own home! So I was no longer surprised when he talked the hostess into slapping him. Some people just seem to take a little longer to learn, I guess.
While the other bikers were attending the bike shows, numerous concerts, checking out the vendors, and enjoying all the entertainment that the Laughlin River Run has to offer, we were pole dancing and drinkin’ Jack. That’s Laughlin, baby!!
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