Some 30,000 motorcycles snaked into the 29th Laughlin River Run, enduring relentless winds, tent tearing gusts and unseasonable cold. The up to 20-degree below normal temps kept the tank top and bikini crowd bundled up, but could not detour the bikers from their annual return to the desert.

Like salmon swimming up an Alaskan stream, bikers rode in from the next town, next state, and in some cases, the next country. The noticeable difference in this edition of the Laughlin River Run was the proliferation of trikes. As awkward or impractical choppers and bobbers have given way to the plush ride and ample storage of baggers, trikes have added another dimension to the tour rig.

Aside from the added stability, stuff capacity and wet weather resistance, some trikes are built to carry three people or various combinations of humans, gear, and pets. For a nice family excursion, bring your spousal equivalent and his or her mom.

Other trikes spotted at Laughlin appeared to be no more than a bike with training wheels, while others were elaborate theme machines concocted from some notion of a classic car. In some cases, actually buying the classic car would have been easier and cheaper.

Also on the rise were women. We’ve known female riders make up well over 20-percent of new Harley owners, a figure that is expanding every year (no pun intended). No where is this more evident than the River Run, where the ratio of women to men riders is likely more around the 30-percent mark.

And they’re not all girlie girls resplendent in pink on pink leathers and lipstick. Most, we observed, were wearing serious leathers in traditional colors. This, of course, does not make them any less feminine than their glitzy, quaffed, buffed, polished and silicone supplemented counterparts.

The women rode in on everything, from balls-to-the-wall chops to heavily modified Low Riders and bone stock Road Kings and Ultra Glides. We anticipate the rise of women will continue into next year’s big 30th Anniversary of the River Run, and beyond.