optimisticThe original plan was to have Lisa come down next Friday to collect me again, as we did three weeks ago. However, working on various logistics leading up to Westercon (for which we leave a week from Tuesday), we concluded that this simply won't work. So I'll drive the RV home a week from Friday and back down after Westercon. This means extra fuel stops, but it can't be helped. Lisa will then come and collect me on a Friday so I can leave the RV with my mechanic for a week while he fixed the fuel issue, and I'll take the train down as I did last Sunday. I should then be able to drive the RV home with a full fuel load (meaning only one refueling necessary, and that at one of the most economical locations).
What this also means is that we won't be able to get the Astro in to Cory for him to do some other work the minivan needs any time soon. The driver's door needs some work, and my mechanic has the parts, but we don't have the right combination of weeks to make this work out. We should have started sooner. The issue isn't affecting the minivan being able to run. And nobody has been able to figure out how to fix the actual engine issue, which is that the van does not like to start when it it warm. During summer driving like the Kansas City trip, if we ever stop when the vehicle has warmed up, we need to allow at least half an hour for it to cool down sufficiently to restart. This imposes certain operational constraints, such as trying to always refuel at the start of the day.