RV history to roll into town
‘Today my wife and I have been hitting little antique shops all along the way to our next stop,” said RV historian David Woodworth from a roadside rest area somewhere in Louisiana.
Woodworth and his wife, Sheran, are on an eight-week, 30-cities “National RV History Tour” sponsored by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association. They will be in Spokane Valley on Monday (more about that later).
“RV travel is absolutely fabulous,” said the former Baptist minister.
“The other day my wife and I were looking at antebellum homes,” he said. “That night we parked right on the banks of the Mississippi River and watched the ferry cross back and forth. I could have tossed a rock from my bedroom window right into the Big Muddy.”
The ‘rolling museum’
The Woodworths, of Tehachapi, Calif., have traveled nearly 5,500 miles since beginning their journey on March 27. The eight-week tour includes stops in 15 states. At each location, they let folks look inside the 2005 Monaco Dynasty they are driving and a 1931 Mae West HouseCar.
The 42-foot Dynasty, on loan from Monaco Coach in Coburg, Ore., is the same luxury rig used by George W. Bush during his second campaign for president, said Woodworth.
“So, we have two celebrity coaches,” he said, “one that President Bush used and one that Mae West used.”
The 1931 auto bungalow is owned by Woodworth. It features an imposing array of amenities for its time including sleeping accommodations for four, a two-burner stove, dining room, pantry, bathroom, kitchen sink and a back porch.
The rig is powered by a 6-cylinder Chevrolet engine; but “drives like a Sherman Tank,” said the lifelong RVer.
“A lot of people are amazed RVs go back that far,” he said. “In fact that is one of my newer ones.”
Woodworth began collecting vintage RVs, camping gear, literature and photographs about 35 years ago. His mobile fleet includes 33 motor homes, travel trailers and tent trailers, dating from 1916 to 1941.
“Right now several of my rigs are on loan to museums in Oklahoma, Indiana and Montana,” he said. “We are working on putting together a museum to exhibit the world’s largest collection of auto camping.”
A little RV history
Americans have been modifying the automobile for camping purposes since the Model T began production in the early 1900s, said Woodworth.
Within a few years the first tent trailers were built with hard-sided enclosed travel trailers not far behind.
By the early ‘20s, millions of America’s growing middle-class “auto campers” began streaming across the country’s ever-expanding highway system.
The golden era of car camping ended with the dawn of World War II when metals and production capacity were redirected into the war effort. By the mid-1950s there was another boom in desire to see the country by road.
While technology and comfort have changed considerably over the years, the reasons people hit the road are still the same – freedom and flexibility.
“People love their freedom,” said Woodworth. “We want to go along, stop anywhere we wish and stay as long as we want.”
Meet the Woodworths
David and Sheran will open their two rigs for public view on Monday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Trailer Inn’s RV Park, 6021 E. Fourth Ave., Spokane Valley (south of I-90, exit 285). Call 535-1811 or go to www.trailerinnsrv.com/spokane for directions. There is no charge.
“We invite people to stop by and poke their heads in the Mae West, check out the original camping gear and skim through the old photographs,” said Woodworth. “Folks can also look around the new Monaco, then sit down and spend some time with us.
“Our goal is to help people appreciate the past,” he said, “but also enjoy the future.”
For additional information
• Woodworth can be reached through his business: Drive a Model T, 19800 Descanso, Tehachapi, CA 93561; toll-free (866) 4T-TOURS (488-6877) or go online to www.driveamodelt.com.
• Monaco Coach Corporation, 91320 Coburg Industrial Way, Coburg, Ore.; Web site: www.monacocoach.com. Call toll free (800) 634-0855 for plant tour information.
Wheel comment
After you stop by to meet the Woodworths and tour the two “celebrity” rigs, let me know what you think about the Mae West or the Dynasty. Call in to (509) 459-5435 or e-mail: juliannec@spokesman.com.