They say loud pipes save lives. I do know it's hard to sleep when they're blasting uphill past my bunk at sunrise. But I guess if they save just one life...
I was online at 7:30 Sunday morning and got some e-mail. It seems while I was hanging out on the Strip last night, a friend of mine was getting suckered into a classic trap on a dark highway east of Seattle. A car turned off ahead, then turned back and cut right across in front of his bike. The result was open fractures of the arm and leg, requiring surgery which began at 4:30 a.m.
Bad news, and that first report wasn't definite about the extent of the injuries. I got out for a stroll into Oatman around 10, bleary-eyed, road-grimed, and pre-occupied.
Bikes were trickling in on 66. Riders had the relaxed squinty-eyed look of the morning after a good night on the town. I walked over to the firehouse to see if the chief was in.
Last year during the week of the Run, the Oatman Fire Department rode out on 3 bike wrecks on this stretch of 66 over the mountains, with more or less serious injuries. Two riders were airlifted out after separate crashes at the Gold Road hairpin. This week of '03, there wasn't a single accident on this road. Friday, I watched one guy go through the decreasing radius hairpin on a red, streamlined Big Twin. He just leaned it over til his sidestand was grinding, and proceeded on down through the rest of the curves. Way to go!
There was one fatal motorcycle accident Saturday evening on Nevada State Route 163 heading out of Laughlin. A second accident near the same spot injured four motorcyclists, including a Vegas news anchorman and two Nevada Highway Patrol motorcycle cops. The newsman was hit from behind by a car when he slowed down to check out the fatal accident scene. NHP says a motorist was arrested for drunk driving in the second crash.
There were a few minor get-offs on the Arizona side of the river, but as far as I know the only serious crash involved the rider who rear-ended a car at high speed Saturday evening on Highway 95 a mile north of Boundary Cone Road. As of Monday afternoon, University Medical Center in Las Vegas still listed him "critical".
One fatality. Last year I believe there were two. Some years there have been several. Part of it's just luck, good or bad, but part of it is attitude. Talking to people on the Run this year, there seemed to be an unspoken awareness of the risks. Most people know the hazards and how to handle them, and people who rode in this year seemed to have it in mind to have a great time without getting crashed, busted, or caught up in other people's business. Almost everyone succeeded.
But a few didn't. Las Vegas Metro reported 30 arrests during the Run, and bagged some drugs: 72 pounds of weed, 10 ounces of coke, and 2 1/2 pounds of meth. Three bikes were reported stolen, but 17 were seized for being hot or carrying hot parts.
I heard of only two arrests in Oatman, both of chicks who allegedly got carried away and committed "nudity". You know, in the old days the miners used to get together and organize the laws for their camp. I wonder what percentage of people in town for the Run would consider "nudity" a crime. But I guess the old days are gone - "for good"?
Back on Main Street Sunday morning, the bike crowd was lighter than usual - maybe 100 motorcycles parked. The three models who'd been getting their pictures taken with visiting bikes and riders were idle. It occurred to me that one of them in particular, Kandis, a gorgeous green-eyed brunette, could make up a perfect get well card for my pal in Seattle. No sooner said than done, and that sweet and beautiful woman knew just what the doctor wanted:
While I was waiting for the shot to print out, I sat down and got to talking with a guy who'd checked out the Thorogood concert last night, and hung out on the Strip afterwards. He said around midnight the cops started herding people off the street.
He didn't have any problem with the way police handled the event. Neither did I. From what I saw, they stood back out of the way and didn't interfere unless they were needed. They were dead serious and sure weren't taking any lip, but from what I saw, and the number of arrests, it seems like they weren't out to bag or cite anyone unless they really had to. In my opinion, that's the way to do it.
That's also the way to recover from last year's fluky incidents. This year's River Run was a classic - beautiful weather, great entertainment, a lot of fun and no hassles. Word gets around, and I expect next year a lot more people are gonna want to get in on this. See you in '04!
