More bad luck at the Southgate Motel. Our room key doesn’t work and the lights in the room are already on. Did they give us an occupied room? Once the shady night attendant finally figured out how to let us inside we have no cold water and the toilet seat won’t stay up. The oddness continues. At 8:36 this morning it is already 98˚. That’s hot

Maker: Jeremy Date: 7/02 Begun: 9:36am Ended: 11:23am Miles Covered: 87

Wittman, AZ - Jeremy’s first mix made specifically for the trip. We had been waiting for the appropriate time to put this one in and this stretch of the highway seems perfect. The tape was made to be listened to in the dusty deserts of the west and as we drove north towards Las Vegas, we pass through expanses of orange dirt and Joshua trees. The air conditioner blows full blast in the early morning heat making us temporarily forget about the sweltering temperature outside. We remember the high temperature when we stop on the side of the road for jump kicks and lizard watching before running back to the relative comfort of our trusty little rental car.

Maker: Dan Date: 2/97 Begun: 11:25am Ended: 1:26pm Miles Covered: 89

Nearing Wikieup, AZ - 107˚ and it’s not even noon! This tape is full of nothing but black musicians as far as the eye can see. Dan starts it off with some Bob Dylan that slows down to a James Brown interruption commanding us to "make it funky." Junior Walker and His All Stars go on to do just that as we search for an abandoned mining town. No luck but we do come across some giant pipes sticking out of the ground with faces painted on them. Funky indeed.

Maker: Dan Date: 2/97 Begun: 1:30pm Ended: 3:53pm Miles Covered: 79

In the middle of a desert – Made the same month as "Who Needs Whites?" Dan starts this tape with some more funky business from Junior Walker and His All Stars. "Is this the wrong side or something?" Dan asks, slightly freaking out. Junior Walker slows down and is interrupted by Minor Threat’s "Guilty of Being White" before Richard Hell bursts onto the scene to start things off properly. Dan had forgotten about this beginning where the whites take over again and laughs at himself for being tricked by his own tape.

Maker: Jeremy Date: 5/97 Begun: 3:54pm Ended: 10:48am Miles Covered: 39

It’s a well known fact that exits and clocks are hard to find in Las Vegas. The casinos don’t want you to know what time it is nor do they want you to ever leave. After securing a room in the magnificent Luxor hotel, we tried to find our way outside and onto the strip. After several wrong turns we finally found an exit door that lead us directly into a neighboring casino, the Excalibur. We were going to have to try a little harder if we wanted to see daylight. Thankfully, we didn’t, but we did want to eat.

We made our way to New York, New York destined to have dinner and ride the roller coaster that runs along the outside of the building, not necessarily in that order. After repeated warnings for those wearing glasses to remove them before riding the coaster, Jeremy decides to keep his on anyway and spends the entirety of the ride desperately clutching at the arms, trying to keep his spectacles from flying off into the hot desert air. Every bump either causes his hands to lose their grasp on his glasses or jostles him enough that he nearly throws his glasses under the front wheels of the coaster. He is an idiot. Badly shaken but with glasses intact, they head for a Chinese food restaurant. The overly friendly waitress can immediately tell that these boys are not here to drop a large wad of cash. They are cheapskates and she knows it. We order 22 oz. Sapporos trying to fool her but she is not impressed.

After frozen drinks at the hideous Coyote Ugly stand, we make our way upstairs for some video soccer and drunk taxi driving. A head full of alcohol only enhances the inherent goodness in video games. Eventually we stumble into a bar in the middle of the casino where a disco cover band is playing. The men all sport giant, fake afros and shiny red shirts. We sit at the bar, right next to a woman who is chain smoking while drinking whiskey and playing the video poker game embedded in the bar. Like most casino patrons she is neither happy nor sad but every once in a while her blank countenance shifts as she raises her cigarette above her head and loudly emits the disco call for all to hear. We proceed to get drunker while enjoying a lovely rendition of Heatwave’s "The Groove Line."

The first free drinks of the evening arrive as we play video poker. Unable to find any nickel slots, we have settled for quarter games. We are surprised they would bother comping drinks for losers such as us. We hoot as we enjoy our free drinks. Jeremy wishes he was still playing Crazy Taxi but realises that they don’t bring drinks to the video game players. We plunk another dollar into our machines, cackling like mental patients. Nearly falling off his stool, Jeremy screams out, "We’re such low rollers!" No need to shout, they already know.