[Frank Miller]

Not sure whether to keep this thread going or start a new one. I'll update you here now. I'm in Manistique, MI and 1183 miles into the trip with 26 hours driving time as measured by my GPS. I got about 40 miles west of Pembroke and the trans Canadian Highway was shut down due to a traffic fatality. The shortest possible detour around was 100 miles. I drove back about 10 miles and found a campground called Driftwood on the Ottawa River. I set up camp and me a few people. Took a little hike on one of the trails. My neighbor fed me a steak and half a potato. We talked about different things for 2 or 3 hours before calling it a night.
I got up a little before 6, took a shower, broke camp and packed up the car. Spoke to my neighbor for a bit and was off by 7:30. I stopped to have breakfast at a local restaurant in North Bay or close to it. Talked car and politics with the old guys -they hate Trump go figure- and when I went to start my car realized I left my headlights on. Luckily that Optima had enough juice and the old girl started right up. It took about 50 mile to fully charge the battery. I have an electronic voltage regulator built by Bob Jeffers just before he died. As the battery charges the charging rate ramps down and when it gets to just above charge I know it's full.
I had no problem at the boarder but they asked a few more questions than I would have liked. I was south on 75 before picking up 2. This road is as fast as any interstate. I'm looking forward to driving the rest of it. Oil and water are full with no overheating. The temps have been on the cool side but none the less the temp is running solid between 1/2 and 3/4. The oil is full and looks clean and no water has been used. These old Fords can break but you need to drive them to find out. They can last too with some proper maintenance. You just got to believe it's possible.