[DeTomaso] Chris Kimball 2013 POCA Fun Rally Journal day 9

[Christopher Kimball]

April 29, 2013

 

I can tell it’s hotter
here now than when were here last week. 
The reason I know, is the air conditioning unit next to my bed cycled its
200-decibel fan motor on and off about 3 times per hour, making consistent
sleep quite challenging.  

 

Not only was the A/C unit
interfering with my slumber, but since we were last here, the hotel has
replaced its pillows with a set that was created at the beginning of the
industrial age.  The foam was so hard and
lumpy I had dreams of sugarplums being hurled at my head.  
And while I'm complaining about hotels, what is it with their toilet paper?  Charmin is 6-ply, Kirkland is 4-ply; hotel toilet paper is 1/2 ply.  Well, it may be thin, but at least it's rough...  Having to use this hotel's toilet paper is what I imagine it might be like to sit on an operating belt sander.

 

Nonetheless, I awoke
shortly after Brian, who was off to Pep Boys to see about a new starter.  I knew it would be difficult to find a
starter on short notice, so I recommended he do what I did to my starter.  I wrapped it in Dynamat to shield it from the
header’s heat.  I have had no problems
with my starter since, and it’s simply a stock unit—not one of the high-torque
models.  In Brian’s case, we think the
problem is the solenoid overheating, so perhaps that will be the thing that
gets covered with protection.  

 

That is exactly what
happened.  Brian met his brother in the
hotel parking lot and went to various places looking for the right starter, but
no store had one, so Brian bought some heat wrap to cover his existing starter.  He went to his brother’s house, installed it, and met me back at the hotel.

 

In Brian’s absence, I took
advantage of the hotel’s complimentary breakfast, but I kept it simple
today.  All I had was juice, bacon and
Froot Loops.  I wasn't sure how long
Brian would be gone, so I didn't want to get embroiled in a feast of rolls, waffles,
and yogurts only to leave it half-finished if Brian arrived before I
was done ingesting.

 

Brian got back to the
hotel around 11:00 AM.  All morning his car had been starting just fine, so with unbridled optimism, we set out for the
longest leg of our four-day sojourn.

 

Things went swimmingly,
except during the first half of today's drive I wasn't sure I would have enough gas to get to the next gas
stop.  I was convinced there would be a
station at the highway 6 junction, but it turned out to only be a junction, and
nothing else.  My little red warning
light informing the fuel was dangerously low had been blinking for a while, and
about 15 miles out of Ely, Nevada, it became a steady glow.

 

Fortunately, we made it to
Ely and a Shell station, which was a huge relief, especially since there was no
cell signal outside of Ely.

 

We gassed up the cars and
headed for Arby’s.  The gas station we
chose was high atop a hill, just in case we needed to push-start Brian’s
car.  Fortunately, that wasn't necessary,
as the wrap seemed to be doing its job. 
I guess the moral of the story is that for safe driving, you need the
right protection on your solenoid.

 

Since I could tell my
electrolytes were low, in addition to the Arby’s Junior with cheese and a Jamoca
shake, I also ordered a fountain drink. 
The fountain drink I concocted was a mix of fruit punch and lemonade—the
same mix I enjoyed so much yesterday.  I
figured I had most of the basic food groups covered: 1) the bread group (the
buns) 2) the fruit group (lemonade) 3) the meat group (the meat-like substance
in the Arby’s Junior) and 4) the chemical group (everything else).

 

While at the gas station,
I stocked up on nutrition.  I bought
three Nesquick milks of different flavors, two vanilla Frappuccinos  a Sprite
(in case I ever need to settle my stomach—not that it would ever be necessary
with the balanced diet I’m enjoying while on the road), a Payday, a bag of Corn
Nuts, and a bag of Bugles.  Just what the
doctor ordered!

 

The rest of the drive was
great—no problems, and only a couple of times did I find it necessary to
venture into three-digit speeds because I needed to pass slow-moving vehicles.

 

We met Clarke and Wilma at
the Golden Corral (yet again), and it was great, as usual.  To balance the questionable nutritional value
of what I consumed in the car while driving, for dinner I had some spinach,
salad, beans, beef, and more lemonade. 
Almost heretically, I was too full for dessert.  It must have been the ½ bag of bugles and bottle
of strawberry-flavored milk I consumed at 5:00.

 

Tomorrow is another rather
long day; almost 6 hours of drive time. 
The temperature is great, now, almost cool.  Still, driving for 8 hours is pretty tiring,
even in a Pantera, so I'm going to hit the hay, as they say.