Great park, site with a beautiful view, mix of 4 lane and 2 lane road, Venza  and 179 are a good pair.

Leaving the car in straight “D” the revs never got above 4000 on steep hills and most of the time was at less than 2500.  Averaged 15L/100 Kim’s (14.7 miles/US gallon).  Not happy with 200+ transmission temp but will have that looked at.

Now to the learning part, when hooking up in +30F temp with only a 15 amp connection I must put the water heater on propane not 110 or the AC will not run, first night very hot until operator got this figured out, may never put the water on 110 again.  Also, change fridge from battery to 110, as the fan in the converter drove Susan crazy all night.  Due to the heat we used a lot more water than anticipated, started with about 2/3 tank and just barely had enough for coffee on the last morning.

Now we will start making the 179 our own, we have a list of mods to make, the first being a short ladder or stool, what do other folks use, I figure 3 steps to be about right but what I have seen don’t carry my weight.

In short we had a great time and are planning the next trip.

Cheers.  

Ferris is an old haunt for me for camping back in our earlier days.  Charleston Lake is also a great option in that area - one of our favorites.

Your comments on fuel economy sounds about right... I tow my 178 with a Santa Fe V6 along the same kind of terrain and typically get 14-15 l/100km.  The wind resistance is the major issue.  I'm thinking about getting one of those air deflector thingies to put on the roof rack of the Santa Fe.

A Venza seems a bit underpowered for it, but I don't know what the rating is for a Venza with a V6.

As far as power useage goes, I know the Provincial Parks are pretty good, but the power outlets are typically too far away.  If you're working off the 110 / 15 amp portion and using the adaptor to use a long extension cord , that might be part of your problem.  I went out and invested in a couple of 25ft heavy duty cords so I could stick with the 30Amp outlets.

Finally, I typically switch the fridge over to propane since it seems to be the most efficient way to use the 3-way fridges.

Its all trial and error though.  Enjoy the process!

As new owners, it came to my mind when talking about extension cords, that you should really ensure you have a good ground connection.  see discussion http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4748