"People say, 'Excuse me, I've never seen anything like that,' " says Woodworth, 59, owner of the largest collection of vintage recreational vehicles in the country. Twenty, in various stages of restoration, dot the fields around the house in Tehachapi, Calif., where he and his wife, Sheran, 53, live, and another 10 are on loan to museums.
A Baptist minister until 13 years ago, when he decided to devote himself full-time to his hobby, Woodworth makes a living exhibiting his RVs at state fairs, parks and other public places. "I take old equipment and demonstrate for people how it was done," he says. "This is a major part of American history, and people aren't aware of it."
Woodworth, a native Alaskan, got his taste for camping when his father, a carpenter, crisscrossed the country with the family, trailer in tow, looking for work. Already an antique-ear buff, he began his camping collection about 20 years ago. "This is something worth saving," says Woodworth, who one day would like to open his own RV museum. "We're talking about Americans taking vacation—the happiest time in America's life."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
