ESP.deepSleep() - over and over? Important note: the esp.deepsleep function uses microseconds, not milliseconds.

I posted another question here asking for clarification on how an RTC can be used to put a NodeMCU 12 to sleep for a long time (~24hrs or more).

This question concerns the use of ESP.deepSleep([microseconds]) with the NodeMCU 12 board.  There is a discussion here and I have followed the advice but have been unable to successfully implement the ESP.deepSleep() function using the Arduino IDE and a NodeMCU 12 board.

Initial findings:
-Connecting gpio16 (D0) to the RST pin causes a reset immediately upon entering sleep.  The entire boot process and loop are repeated over and over again.
-Simply using the ESP.deepSleep() function without gpio16-to-RST generates gibberish on the serial monitor and illuminates the red led on the board.

My code is here (I just drop "deepsleep();" where I want the sleep process to begin):

void deepsleep() {
  Serial.println("sleeping hr 1");
  ESP.deepSleep(3600000); //1hr
  delay(100);
  Serial.println("sleeping hr 2");
  ESP.deepSleep(3600000); //2hr
  delay(100);
  Serial.println("sleeping hr 3");
  ESP.deepSleep(3600000); //3hr
  delay(100);
  Serial.println("sleeping hr 4");
  ESP.deepSleep(3600000); //4hr
  delay(100);
  Serial.println("sleeping hr 5");
  ESP.deepSleep(3600000); //5hr
  delay(100);
  Serial.println("sleeping hr 6");
  ESP.deepSleep(3600000); //6hr
  delay(100);
  Serial.println("sleeping hr 7");
  ESP.deepSleep(3600000); //7hr
  delay(100);
  Serial.println("sleeping hr 8");
  ESP.deepSleep(3600000, WAKE_RF_DEFAULT);  //8hr
}


What is wrong with this approach and why am I (apparently) causing an error?
Use a resistor between GPIO16 and RST. I usually use a 470 Ohm resistor. Shorting the pins with a wire does not work.

https://www.esp8266.com/viewtopic.php?t=14350#p64510

Maximum deep sleep is about 71 minutes. 3600000 microseconds = 3.6 seconds, not 1 hour. 1 hour in microseconds is 3600000000UL.

As mentioned in the comments, waking from deep sleep on the ESP8266 is a hardware reset so execution begins at the start of the setup function.