Each year as April rolls around, all of the shops in Southern California are packed with bikes for service. See, the Laughlin River Run draws some 25,000 bikes to the desert for a weekend of bikes, bikes, and more bikes. So the local riding population needs to get its rides in top shape for a 300- to 500-mile trek across the desert.
With a few interesting happenings a few years ago, attendance was really off last year. This year, things picked up a bit, but still the huge crowds of four and five years ago were not to be seen. Now don't take that as a bad thing because it meant a lot more room to move around and a lot less traffic to cook your bike in -- remember Laughlin is in the Nevada desert, so it gets hot!
For those that did show up, there were hundreds of venders, a bike show, Discovery brought out a display of their Biker Build-Off series, and of course, casinos. Venture off the main drag in Laughlin and head over the river to Arizona, and you can blast out to Oatman for a view of the old mining town. Or if you are more of a hot rodder, you could head out to the Avi Resort and test your bike's power in some organized street races.
A few years ago, the promoters of the Laughlin River Run made a switch to a four-day event. Maybe the smaller crowd is a good sign to switch back to a three-day run so more people get out and see the River Run for what it is supposed to be: fun!