Fall 2019

This year, SEMA expanded its footprint with a designated area just for overlanding themed displays. The theme certainly wasn’t restricted there. Visiting the truck section, it seemed the dominating theme was off-road adventure. The number of well-equipped overland builds was at an all-time high, especially with the newly released pickups from a few of Toyota’s rivals. In addition to new products, there were notable innovative enhancements to existing products.James Baroud offers a tunnel that protects against the elements. It works with existing tents and can be integrated with the James Baroud awning.

Photos By Mercedes Lilienthal

From guts and glory to disparity and even defeat, Rebelle women are strong.They face every kind of emotion when competing in the all-women’s traditional navigational rally known as the Rebelle Rally. Trust me, I know.  I rallied a 2012 Toyota Tacoma for 1,600 off-road miles in last year’s competition.  Kathy Locke (Creative Director for TCT Magazine and a competitor this year) covered the Toyotas as media last year, including the one I drove. This year I’m covering the event as media and essentially switched roles with her.

The The Kitanowaki Beach is one of the beautiful bays that Japan has to offer. We’re camped here for a week or two before the high season starts and the bay will be flooded with local vacationers. For now, we have the place pretty much to ourselves: our Land Cruiser with rooftop tent under a tree, providing us with shade in a far corner of the bay. Every once in awhile, somebody stops by for a chat--usually a local from the adjacent village who’s enjoying a walk along the shore.