Laughlin

So where and what is Laughlin? To the out of towners that come to Vegas, get their jollies and fly back home in a flash, it does not exist, Las Vegas is their playground. However, for the desert denizens of the southwest, it is a hidden paradise that offers much...all depending on what you look for. And I mean hidden! Nestled in the Colorado River Valley between U.S. 93 and U.S. 95, you have to WANT to get there to find it. There are signs all over the place advertising it. The problem (for many) is the drive.

The drive is a LOT of empty desert, about 95 miles from Vegas via U.S. 95 and NV 163, and about 130 miles via U.S. 93 and AZ 68. It is best to have some drinks and maybe a snack before beginning the trek. One may ask, "Why in the world would you leave Las Vegas for another, even emptier, desert land?"

I believe the simple answer to this is WATER! Laughlin and its Arizona counterpart Bullhead City lie along the Colorado River at the north end of a very long valley. Despite the fact that these 2 towns are often the nation's hot spots, the river never really gets warmer than the low 50s due to coming out of a dam-created lake that's in a mountain shadow.

The river is what draws us there fairly often, though not often enough. This past weekend, we finally made it back there after a 2 1/2 year absence. What is there to do on the river? For many, jet-skiing is the water sport to do. There are a few scattered beaches on both the Nevada and Arizona sides to sun on as well.

And then there is a river cruise we love taking. For 90 minutes, you get a recorded tour and history of the Colorado River and the town of Laughlin itself, while enjoying cool beverages, a nice snack, or a full meal! Vickie once surprised me with the dinner cruise several years ago. It was quite the experience in the evening, hearing the tour and enjoying a salmon dinner. It was late summer and the sun was setting, creating a gorgeous red hue on the mountains to the east. Since then, we have tried to do the dinner cruise again, but it was canceled due to low sign-up volume that day. However, we have done the afternoon cruise many times since. The breezes from the river when you're on the upper deck create a quite pleasant experience.

Apart from that wonderful activity, what else does Laughlin have to offer? Well, as it is in Nevada, it has become a major gambling center in its own right. About 7 hotel/casinos line the river's west shore. Lots of slot, table, and sportsbook play make it a Vegas-like experience. There is a major difference I have noted, however, between the 2 towns. Laughlin is the Lambda Lambda Lambda to Vegas's Alpha Beta.

While Vegas has all of the glitz and glamour (skin-deep only, mind you) with golden revolving doors almost forcing you into it, Laughlin's main hotels pretty much have you opening regular doors yourself. While Vegas has gorgeous cocktail waitresses, Laughlin tends to have the middle-aged post-glamour set serving the beers and cocktails. While Vegas has the limos, fancy valet dropoffs and pickups, and sense of transportational style, Laughlin has the sense of regular people coming from Fresno to get away for a day or so, with tight parking garages and laid-back valet drivers.

Also, some of the hotels in Laughlin are good, some need TLC. For the most part, we have stayed at either the Aquarius or Don Laughlin's Riverside, both pretty good in terms of basic but comfortable rooms. One time, we stayed at the Edgewater which wasn't all that great, and another time at the Colorado Belle which, while great-looking with it's riverboat motif at night, is rather run-down in its hotel itself. Down further are the Golden Nugget and Harrah's, both hotels we avoid due to high cost per night in the past, though in summer during the middle of the week there are some sweet deals! Down the valley about 15 miles away, there is a place called the Avi, which is on a reservation. We've stayed there a few times, and it is decent. The only problem is it is far from Laughlin's main river action. On the plus side, the Avi has a bowling alley and movie theatres.

Across the river is Bullhead City, Arizona, which looks thrown together at certain places, not really atractive, and is stretched out over about a 20 mile length. That said, Bullhead has most of the major businesses such as restaurants and gas stations that Laughlin does not contain. On the subject of gas, it is always better price-wise to fill up on the Arizona side due to lower costs. Example: in Laughlin yesterday, the gas was $3.39 a gallon, In Bullhead, many stations were below $2.50 a gallon. Let's be smart here! I think one of the reasons Arizona has good gas prices is because their stations don't have the detergents that Nevada stations get from California refineries (you know, where all those refinery problems happen yearly?).

If one desires, they can trek further south about 20 miles from Laughlin to Needles, California. Unlike the town's Route 66 heyday, it is pretty run-down and depressing...and VERY HIGH gas-wise! Even the locals trek over to Arizona to save a buck or more per gallon! There are some halfway decent eateries there along with some cooked-up Route 66 memorabilia shops, but unless the state of California gives Needles some TLC, it will be a ghost town soon.

Trekking a bit southeast, speaking of Route 66, one can get a glimpse at a classic 66 town in Oatman, Arizona. It is small to be sure, but contains a lot of wild burros orphaned originally by the desertion of the gold mine decades ago. The town is quite alive thanks to bikers who love taking on the switchbacks of the old highway betwene Oatman and Kingman. 66 was rerouted to a straighter alignment in the early 50s as the Oatman path was the most dangerous part of the entire highway due to the steep grades along with the switchbacks.

In closing, we love Laughlin because of the river, time spent together, and places to explore outside of town while not getting too far away. It is far from perfect, but so are we, so it is a perfect match!