Update Finally

Sunset Blvd

So there's been a big gap since I last wrote. After our stop in San Francisco we headed to LA ended up there much longer than anticipated because of an editing job I had. I also got the chance to do some sets at the Comedy Store while we were there.
Then it was Vegas for two days where we stayed in the giant black Pyramid hotel called the Luxor. It looks like it came straight out of an 80's sci-fi flick and smelled a bit like one to. Vegas was not as big and bright as I'd always imagined. I think the struggling economy really shows in Vegas as there are just not as many people throwing their money around. The Luxor itself felt like a dying old castle, once glorious, but far too large to maintain it's opulence. We went to see a Chris Angel show in the hotel because it was cheap. Man did he phone in that show. He actually used bright lights and flash bulbs to temporarily blind you while he made the switch to another place. Once we were all done wiping our eyes and saw Chris Angel 'appear' somewhere else, I can't say I was mesmerized.

From Vegas to the Grand Canyon. We camped just outside and then made our way into the Canyon the next day. The GC is something that everyone should witness at least once. I'm planning on heading back to trip down into it for sure.
As soon as we started to leave the Canyon a red warning light started to flash on the car indicating that our engine coolant was dangerously low. So we stopped for an hour, re-filled the thing and kept on driving. As we headed outside of Grand Canyon territory into Flagstaff, AZ, the car started making a heavy scraping sound whenever we applied the breaks. We missed the auto shop by a few minutes so ended up going to see the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' re-make, (not as good as the original, but look out for Micro Naps!) and tried to sleep in the car in the Harkin Theatre Parking Lot, but the security guard woke us up, so we ended up parking right outside the Sears Auto Shop and sleeping there.
I-40 Closure. You can see the dust storm in the distance.

A day in Flagstaff, and $360 later, we have new front brake pads and rotors, and head off on the I-40 to trek into New Orleans, with a stop in Santa Fe. Only 20min along the I-40 East and they end up closing the Interstate due to high winds. Back in Flagstaff to re-route, end up driving through some amazing AZ countryside, see some Elk.
Once in Texas the low coolant light came on again, only sooner than before. Basically our little coolant leak has turned into a big one, and by the time we were heading into Texas, I was stopping every 30 miles to completely refill it. After a 21hour drive from the middle of Texas into New Orleans Louisiana, and several gallons of anti-freeze later, we are finally in The Big Easy. The car is in the shop to see if it's worth fixing, and we're in the French Quarter. This city is amazing. Last night, even on a Monday, there were countless live bands playing, people smoking inside and you can drink on the street.
Booze is so cheap in this country. We bought a 12 of Pabst for $7.50, I think that's almost too cheap. That is just begging everyone to become alcoholics.
Not worrying about the car too much right now. We'll find our tomorrow if it's worth fixing, or if our beloved Saturn will be put to rest in New Orleans.
Sorry for 10 day delay in the blog. It's been a lot of driving and sleeping, but I'm going to make an effort to pick up the frequency again. There's definitely some more stories to tell. Like the Jewelery salesman in San Francisco who tried to up-sell so much, that it went beyond salesmanship and bordered on some kind of social disorder. More on that soon.

Louisiana Sunrise