On the Road with John Schneider

By Cele & Lynn Seldon

This month, we chatted with actor, writer, recording artist, dancer, philanthropist and Renaissance man, John Schneider.

Probably most well-known for his stint as Bo Duke on the 1979-1985 series, Dukes of Hazzard, John Schneider has much more to his credit than simply cruising around in his Dodge Charger and getting into mischief with his cousins Luke and Daisy. A musician with 19 albums (including two that came out in 2019 – Redneck Rebel and Recycling Grace), other television credits including Jim Cryer on Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots, and Jonathan Kent on Smallville, a dancer with a stint on Dancing with the Stars, an author with his memoir, My Life, My Way, screenwriting, movie producing with his wife, Alicia Allain, and being a co-founder of the Children’s Miracle Network, you wouldn’t think he’d have time to do anything else. Let alone travel in his RV. We caught up with John as he and Alicia were setting out in their RV on a promotional tour. How did you get into RVing? I’ve had an RV forever. When I did Dukes, I had a Vogue motorhome. The next show I did I had a Lance Cabover Camper over a Chevy 454. From there I went to a Coachman fifth wheel. From that I went to an Alfa See Ya. So, I’ve always RVed. My dad had an 18-foot olive green GMC and camped with my family in the good old days. When I had the Alfa and the fifth wheel, we’d take the kids out and go camping. One of the great memories, hopefully, of their childhood. Do you RV for work, pleasure or both? We try to travel for fun. But we’re promoting a movie and a new single, so it winds up being more for work. But it’s great. Currently it’s probably 90 percent work, 10 percent pleasure. We love what we do so if we’ve got an 8 or 12-hour drive, we’ll have the driver stop halfway through and we’ll go play a round of golf somewhere while he takes a nap. We also love to antique. So sadly, I say jokingly, this coach has a lot of bins underneath it. So, there is lots of room for lamps and knick-knacks you find in an antique store that you couldn’t possibly live without. What’s your favorite thing about staying in an RV versus a hotel room? I don’t like hotels. I like my coffee pot, we like our pillows, our drawers, toothbrushes in the same spot. My favorite thing? Everything. You have your own bed. So, you have your own mattress, pillow and sheets. You know where your

John Schneider, Credit Harrison Funk

socks are. You know where your toothbrush is. You can cook in there. You also can stock it up from a nice store. What are your three favorite things/gadgets/ items on board your RV? The auto levelers, number one. Love that. It has a powder room and a bathroom. We often carry someone with us like a guitar player or a harmonica player and we can all hang out in the front. But when it’s time for us to go to bed in the back, they don’t have to traipse through our world to use the restroom. We have a great 26” or 27” outdoor screen underneath the awning where we watch westerns and old movies. And I can’t forget the fireplace. What’s your favorite meal to make? I’m a breakfast guy so I like to whip up omelets and cappuccino. I like to make these egg muffins made with egg and coleslaw, believe it or not, with a little cheese and a little bacon in a muffin tin. And it makes a great little snack that you can gnaw on as you go down the road.

Do you have any camping rituals? No, I don’t yet. But the first one I want to build is when we see a golf course, we stop. And if it’s nighttime, we stop, and we sleep and then we play in the morning. Can you tell that I like golf? What can we expect from you in 2020? You’ll hear me a lot. You’ll hear a lot of music. Music is the most important. We’re also doing a tribute to Smoky and the Bandit called Stand on It. We’re putting a bunch of our music in there on the soundtrack. Your amazing Children’s Miracle Network has raised more than $7 billion dollars for medical research and awareness of children’s health issues since you co-founded it in 1983. Are you doing anything else on the philanthropic front? We’re doing some work at different maximum-security prisons with men’s choirs. We started in Angola, Louisiana, then one in Tennessee and two in Georgia. As we were producing Recycling Grace, we had a chance to go play at a prison and I was like, “well, yeah, Johnny Cash did it, let’s do it” and we saw a world in there we really weren’t prepared to see. We saw redemption and forgiveness and apologies–nothing like what you see in the movies about what prison is like. It was very eye-opening. ¾

Look How We’ve Grown

Sunshine Key RV Resort and Marina welcome new arrivals! By Joan Rykal

Sunshine Key RV Resort and Marina, Encore’s fabulous location in the Florida Keys is bursting with pride at the arrival of their five new tiny homes. The resort’s Tiny House Village welcomed five new tiny homes this past fall. Come on down and get a look at these adorable bundles of vacation joy, or as they are affectionately known at SSK, Pearl, Isla, Hemingway, Lucy, and Kai. Of course, as with any new arrival in a family, we just can’t say enough about them. Each has its own unique personality, and each is perfectly appointed with everything you need for a perfect stay.

Tiny Houses: Lucy and Hemingway

Tiny House: Pearl

Tiny House: Kai

Pearl is pretty in pink and features a sleeper sofa on the first floor and a queen bed in the lofted sleeping area (accessible by stairs), as well as a full bathroom with standing shower, and a kitchen complete with refrigerator, stove top, coffeemaker, microwave, toaster, dinnerware and cookware. Isla shines in her tropical green exterior with a fully appointed interior that includes a first-floor sleeper sofa and a lofted sleeping area with two queen-sized beds and a twin bed. The full bathroom has a tub and shower and the kitchen

is complete with stove top, refrigerator, coffeemaker, microwave, toaster and dinnerware and cookware. Lucy is friendly with a sunny personality and an exterior color to match! Life with Lucy includes a first-floor sleeper sofa and two lofted queen beds as well as a lofted twin bed! The kitchen matches those of her counterparts and the full bathroom features both a shower and tub. Kai gives off a water loving vibe thanks to the aqua exterior that mimics the waters of the Keys. Inside, Kai is just as easy-going with a firstfloor sleeper sofa and a lofted

Tiny House: Kai

queen bed. Kai’s kitchen has all the amenities including a refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, coffeemaker, toaster cookware and dinnerware. Hemingway and the Keys are pretty much synonymous, so to have an authentic Keys trip, consider a stay in Hemingway, the tiny home! The first level/basement features a full bed and the loft area, accessible by ladder, has a queen bed. The kitchen has the same features as the other tiny homes and the full bath features a standing shower. All the tiny homes have AC/ heat, TV with basic cable, linens, outdoor seating, and grills. The new tinies are the perfect complement to an already fabulous resort that in addition to its great Keys location, offers guests wonderful amenities including a swimming pool, tennis and pickleball courts, and laundry facilities. The resort also offers on-site fishing opportunities, a marina and dock, and a beach area! Factor in the Gulf’s free of charge amazing sunrises and sunsets and the abundance of activities available in the Gulf’s warm waters, a visit to Sunshine Key is a must-do!

Speaking of water activities, Keys Boat Tours, an outfitter who rents kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and bikes as well as provides snorkeling, and fishing tours, is located on-site at Sunshine Key. Keys Boat Tours has the distinction of being named a Blue Star Operator. The Blue Star program, which was established by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, recognizes tour operators who are committed to promoting responsible and sustainable diving, snorkeling, and fishing practices to reduce the impact of these activities on the ecosystems in the Keys. So not only do you have the opportunity to take advantage of their tours and rentals directly on-site, but you have the satisfaction in knowing that your water adventures are a sound choice for both you and the marine world you’ll explore! Learn more at keysboattours.com If you need any more reasons to book a stay at Sunshine Key (although we think the aforementioned are plenty), take a look at what you can do in the Keys, while making SSK your home away from home for a wonderful island adventure. Explore the land of Ernest Hemingway and visit Key West. Just 30 miles from the resort, Key West is a world unto itself.

The main thoroughfare, Duval Street, has shops, boutiques, galleries, eateries, cigar stores, coffee shops and architecture that highlights the area’s Spanish history. At night, Duval Street comes alive thanks to the many bars, which include Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville and Sloppy Joe’s, famous for its Hemingway look-alike contests. For a deeper look around Key West, take the Conch Train. One of the island’s most popular attractions, the Conch Train loops Old Town Key West during an informative, and fun, 75-minute tour of the city. And to get up close and personal with Hemingway himself, tour the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum (hemingwayhome.com), where the author lived, and wrote, for 10 years. Around the grounds, as well as throughout the city, you will find an abundance of cats, which are said to all be descended from a six-toe cat gifted to Hemingway by a sea captain.

Tiny House: Pearl

Tiny House: Pearl

Tiny House: Lucy

There are plenty of beaches to enjoy in the Keys, with Bahia Honda State Park being one of the more popular. Another is the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo. A snorkeler’s dream, there is a shipwreck not far from shore. The Dry Tortugas features several features and is also home to historic Fort Jefferson, one of the nation’s largest 19th century forts. Theater of the Seas, located on Islamorada, offers dolphin and sea lion shows and you can take a swim with both. Movie buffs might enjoy a cruise on the African Queen that offers several cruises each day, including a dinner cruise, around the waters of Key largo (africanqueenflkeys.com). Just the drive from island to island itself is an experience, as the Overseas Highway is the main way to do this. Enjoy the 11-mile ride with fabulous views from all sides. The Keys also are known for their many festivals. Some popular festivals include the Marathon Seafood festival each March, Hemingway Days each July and the Key West Fantasy Fest, held every year in October. ¾

For more info on what to see and do in the Florida Keys, visit fla-keys.com. To reserve your stay in one of the newly arrived tiny homes, visit

Petiteretreats.com

who is in the kitchen with TRAILBLAZER?

Pan Seared Tuna Steaks with A Soy Glaze

Ingredients:

8 ounces tuna steaks Salt Pepper Green onion (chopped, for garnish) GLAZE 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon ginger (grated) 1 tablespoon green onion (chopped)

Instructions: 1. In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the glaze and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes or until the glaze is thick enough to coat a spoon. Take pan off stove and set aside. 2. Drizzle some oil on a large skillet and heat to medium high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the tuna, and sear for one minute per side. Then give the edges a quick sear and place on a cutting board. 3. Cut slices on the bias and arrange on a plate. Drizzle glaze over slices and serve.

(Recipe from soupbelly.com)

Check out more recipes at TrailBlazer.com!