As he nears Baker, California, a patrolman stops him for speeding, and advises him to sleep at a nearby rest stop. The next morning, Duke awakens to an exorbitant room service bill, and no sign of Gonzo (who has returned to Los Angeles while Duke slept), and attempts to leave town. Duke attempts to type his reminisces on hippie culture, and flashes back to San Francisco where a hippie licks spilled LSD off his sleeve. Duke agrees, but instead throws a grapefruit at Gonzo's head before running outside and locking Gonzo in the bathroom. He pleads with Duke to throw the machine into the water when the song ' White Rabbit' peaks. When Duke returns he finds that Gonzo, high on LSD, has trashed the room, and is in the bathtub clothed, attempting to pull the tape player in with him as he wants to hear the song better.

Back in the hotel room, Duke leaves Gonzo unattended, and tries his luck at Big Six. After consuming more mescaline, as well as huffing diethyl ether, Duke and Gonzo arrive at the Bazooko Circus casino but leave shortly afterwards, the chaotic atmosphere frightening Gonzo. Duke becomes irrational and believes that they are in the middle of a battlefield, so he fires Lacerda and returns to the hotel. The next day, Duke arrives at the race and heads out with his photographer, Lacerda. By the time they reach the strip, Duke is in the full throes of his trip and barely makes it through the hotel check-in, hallucinating that the clerk is a moray eel and that his fellow bar patrons are orgiastic lizards. Trying to reach Vegas before the hitchhiker can go to the police, Gonzo gives Duke part of a sheet of Sunshine Acid, then informs him that there is little chance of making it before the drug kicks in. The hitchhiker flees on foot at their behavior. They bought excessive drugs for the trip, and rented a red Chevrolet Impala convertible. They pick up a young hitchhiker and explain their mission: Duke has been assigned by a magazine to cover the Mint 400 motorcycle race in Las Vegas. Duke, under the influence of mescaline, complains of a swarm of giant bats, and inventories their drug stash.

The fear and loathing in las vegas