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9 Sep, 10 tweets, 5 min read
Last holiday season, Tom Standish put nearly all of his belongings in long-term storage, leased out his Oregon house and, with his wife, toddler and newborn, traded in suburban life for one on the road.

@byandreachang reports on the overlanding craze: latimes.com/business/story…
The family is now living in a luxury overland adventure vehicle called an EarthCruiser FX that combines premium accommodations with hardcore off-roading capabilities.

Starting price for the boxy behemoth: $439,000.

📸: Meghan Standish latimes.com/business/story…
The Standish family plans to take the EarthCruiser down the Baja Peninsula and then ship the seven-ton rig by boat to Belgium so they can use it to traverse Northern Europe next year.

📸: Meghan Standish
latimes.com/business/story…
Not quite #vanlife, glamping or traveling in an RV, overlanding is loosely defined as a self-reliant way to explore rugged terrain for a sustained amount of time. latimes.com/business/story…
Enthusiasts can purchase top-of-the-line turnkey rigs that cost $2 million, or convert their four-wheel-drive Subarus and Toyotas into overland-capable vehicles with rooftop tents, off-road tires, portable fridges and suspension and lift kits. latimes.com/business/story…
Popular for decades in Australia and Europe, overlanding was making inroads in the U.S. over the last decade before the pandemic pushed the budding outdoor sector into overdrive.

📸: Roofnest
latimes.com/business/story…
The pandemic introduced an unexpected aspect to overlanding: the ability to work from the road.

Vehicle makers are adding WiFi and satellite connectivity. “We help people collect experiences while earning a living,” EarthCruiser’s chief exec said. latimes.com/business/story…
That’s not to say there haven’t been bumps along the way for some overlanders working remotely.

“We learned a very expensive lesson with satellite internet connectivity,” said Matt Jacobson, the eighth employee at Facebook.

📸: @bvdbrug
latimes.com/business/story…
While new-car sales declined nearly 15% in the U.S. last year, according to trade association SEMA, there was one bright spot: overlanding. The sector has “exploded, the group said.

More from @byandreachang latimes.com/business/story…
L.A. Times subscribers get early access to this article by @byandreachang.

Support our journalism. Subscribe: latimes.com/subscribe

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More from @latimes

Los Angeles Times Profile picture
15 Sep
@kurtbardella details just how much the Republican party has changed since the 2003 recall for @latimesopinion. latimes.com/opinion/story/…
“In many ways, the recall election of 2003 was a battle between the state’s more moderate and conservative factions. Schwarzenegger, who was then a member of the Kennedy family, became the standard bearer for the moderates...”
“In 2003, Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield was the Assembly Republican leader who attached himself to Schwarzenegger and helped lead the fight for the 'moderates' in the party.”
Read 7 tweets
Los Angeles Times Profile picture
15 Sep
Just when you think you've seen it all, here's something that happened this week:

Dr. Anthony Fauci weighed in on that Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend's testicles vaccine story.
latimes.com/entertainment-…
ICYMI: The “Super Bass” rapper took to Twitter earlier this week announcing that she would miss the Met Gala due to the event's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and shared a very... intimate anecdote about how the vaccine allegedly affected a cousin's friend. latimes.com/entertainment-…
The tweets sparked swift response, including one from the leading U.S. coronavirus expert himself, who debunked the notion that the vaccine affects the reproductive system. latimes.com/entertainment-… Image
Read 4 tweets
Los Angeles Times Profile picture
15 Sep
@espie_randolph shares his family’s story of vaccine hesitancy for @latimesopinion. latimes.com/opinion/story/…
“After going weeks without speaking to each other because I yelled at my mom about not getting vaccinated, she finally calls me from her home in Texas. The news: She has just tested positive for COVID-19.”
“More bad news. I find out from my sister that four family members in Texas, including my 79-year-old grandmother, are unvaccinated and have all contracted the virus.”
Read 7 tweets
Los Angeles Times Profile picture
15 Sep
Miss @BreakingBad? This book curated by showrunner Vince Gilligan brings together of over 200 pages of fan created artwork. latimes.com/entertainment-…
“We wanted to celebrate these fans,” Gilligan said. “It just blew my mind when I really started to understand the depth of [their art.]”

Along with some other TV colleagues, Gilligan sifted through works from artists all over the world to produce “99.1% Pure: Breaking Bad Art.” Image
To many artists, the opportunity was one filled with gratitude.

“‘Breaking Bad’ [fan art] was such a launching platform for me. It was one of the first things that got me noticed online,” said Chicago-based artist @bethevansart. latimes.com/entertainment-…
Read 4 tweets
Los Angeles Times Profile picture
15 Sep
Gov. Newsom decisively fended off a recall with a two-pronged strategy: nonstop GOP bashing & an unapologetic embrace of vaccine mandates.

Now, the architects of his win say Democrats across the country should follow suit in next year’s midterm election.

latimes.com/politics/story… Image
Those same techniques may not work as well in a less Democratic state, and they hardly negate the problems that Democrats face, both in California and Washington, in turning their ideas into governing policy.

latimes.com/politics/newsl…
But the campaign offered insights that will inform strategies over the next 14 months.

Here are three:
🔹 Trump still wins elections — for Democrats
🔹 The politics of vaccination
🔹 Polls, frauds and turnout

latimes.com/politics/newsl…
Read 7 tweets
Los Angeles Times Profile picture
15 Sep
Spurred by the pandemic, Democrats are proposing a foundational shift in how the nation pays for childcare — placing responsibility largely on taxpayers rather than parents.

It’s a transition dozens of wealthy countries already have made.

latimes.com/politics/story… Image
Despite repeated attempts by Congress, the idea has failed to catch on in the U.S.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed just how critical affordable, accessible childcare is to the economy.

latimes.com/politics/story… Image
Advocates and Democrats in Congress see this moment as a chance to reframe infant and toddler childcare as a duty of the entire society, similar to K-12 education.

latimes.com/politics/story…
Read 7 tweets

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