Our first trip of 2021 was a one week trip up the West Coast of California from Oceanside to Ventura Feb 12-15th. We’ve been wanting to visit family that live & work at Ventura Beach RV Resort since Oct 2020. It’s about 161mi from home and our first outing since our short shakedown trip in San Diego. A Tacoma’s estimated towing gas mileage is ~10mpg. So we wanted to keep the first leg of our first trip under 200mi until we have a better idea of our range.

Our mileage turned out to be ~11.5mpg, driving in S4 with ECT Power on. The elevation changes along the coast were minor so we were not tested towing up any serious inclines.

Ventura Beach RV Resort is urban camping near Emma Wood State Beach. They have full hookups, tight spaces, and the continual drone of the nearby 101 highway which ends up being white-noise similar to ocean waves. The RV resort is north of Ventura proper & the Ventura Pier. Having a bike is highly recommended & makes getting around more convenient. There is a bike rental place (Ventura Bike Depot) within walking distance with a great selection of bikes & e-bikes to rent. The coast is scenic, flat and very bike-friendly. At the base of the pier, there is an excellent taco stand with outdoor seating.