The day didn't start well. I checked all the fluids and we were off. Twice in the first 100 miles I had to stop to add more than a gallon of water to the cooling system each time. It did not happen again. This seems to be a pattern, that when the car is cold, water level is precise, it will lose a gallon of water in short order and run 10C higher than normal. This is the first time it has happened twice, so I expected it to happen again after that second water stop, but no more water lost the rest of the day.
We hoped to make it to Louisville for dinner, preferably at a truck stop where we could charge the battery we'd been using all day, then we'd go on for a few more hours. Unfortunately, about 50 miles west of Louisville it got too dark to drive without lights on. We'd put 650 miles on that poor battery that had lasted us so well, but as soon as I presented the need for that type of current drain (just parking lights), it immediately lost power and backfired. It was dark, but I turned off all the lights, braked and went to the shoulder and shut it down. I don't know how much farther we could have gone if we didn't need lights, but 650 miles was pretty impressive, I think. The only draw on the battery though was the fuel pumps and ignition system, although we did also start the car 7 or 8 times during the day either after the water stops, forced vapor lock fillups, or rest stops. I also charged my cell phone once through the cigarette lighter (via a power inverter that probably pulled a little current as well).
Google Maps suggests a trip of 584 miles for tomorrow, so we better get to bed....
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