Overall, we had a good time, but there was this weird negative vibe that everyone seemed to share. And because of the rain there was an increase in the amount of accidents. We're definitely going back next year, but we hope the weather cooperates and the city of Laughlin reduces the amount of police supervision.
We have to be honest about this year's Laughlin, Nevada River Run, there were clouds hanging over the event, literally and figuratively speaking. Friday and Saturday were overcast (we thought it was nice because it wasn't boiling hot like last year), and there was a chance of rain, but the heavens didn't open up until Saturday night. Maybe people spent too much time watching the Weather Channel before the event and, because of the expected rain, anticipated dampened spirits. Or maybe it was the extraordinary amount of cops everywhere you turned (we heard about a ticket for a guy going 5 miles over the speed limit plus an assortment of too-high-handlebar tickets as well, talk about bullshit).
Fortunately, a good time wasn't hard to find due to the location of the run and the number of activities put on by vendors in conjunction with the hotels. El Pitt's, owner of Vegas City Choppers, threw a cool party at Harrah's on Friday night. The Rainbow Bar at the Flamingo was fun, but there was nowhere near the number of people there as usual. You could actually walk right up to the bar and get a drink in under five minutes. Previous years you were lucky to get one in a half hour. The Palms hosted the hot Miss LifeStyle Cycle contest and gave away a Saxon Chopper on Saturday night, just minutes before the rain started and drove the contestants and the crowds towards shelter from the heavy droplets. Other activities included Rhett Rotten and Warrant (the band) at the Pioneer, the Purrfect Angelz at the Golden Nugget, H-D demo rides at the Riverside, and Miss Hawaiian Tropic at the Colorado Belle.
The event drew in a few vendors and shops from around the country, but the majority of the shops in attendance were from Nevada and the states nearby like California and Arizona. There were still big names everywhere you looked, like Matt Hotch of HotMatch Custom Cycles, Russell Mitchell from Exile Cycles, Scott Long of Central Coast Cycles, Johnny Chop, Chica, Arlen Ness, Mitch Bergeron, Martin Bros., and Jesse Rooke. Well-known vendors made an appearance as well, including S&S, Big Dog, CCI, J&P Cycles, Redneck, Patrick Racing, and Barnett.