November 6, 2025 • 25 mins
In this engaging conversation, Charlie Grace interviews Sherry, also known as the Silver Mermaid, about her inspiring journey of solo RVing. Sherry shares her motivations for hitting the road, the importance of safety and confidence as a woman traveler, and her love for boondocking and connecting with nature. She offers valuable advice for women over 50 considering RV life, discusses essential items for living on the road, and highlights the significance of community and inspiration in her journey. The conversation wraps up with fun rapid-fire questions, showcasing Sherry's personality and passion for adventure.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
I have really never felt fearfulof being on the road, fearful of
mountain passes, yes, which I'vegone over a lot of them.
I feel that as a woman that you have to wear confidence to feel
safe. Welcome to the RV Queens Podcast
where adventure meets the Open Rd.
(00:20):
I'm your host Charlie Grace, rolling through life one mile at
a time, sharing stories, interviews, tips, and real talk
about RV living, travel, and thefreedom to chase your own
version of home. Whether you're a full time RV or
a weekend warrior or just RV curious, you're in the right
place. So buckle up, grab your favorite
drink, and let's hit the road together.
(00:46):
All right, welcome everyone, andwelcome to the RV Queens
podcast. I've got special guest here
today. Her name is Sherry.
Some of you might know her as the Silver mermaid.
Now I know she doesn't have a tail.
I've checked this out. I've looked at her Instagram.
We've been talking about this a while.
But Sherry, welcome. Thank you.
I'm glad to be here. I'm so excited, I tell you what,
I've been watching your Instagram for a while now and
you've just given so much inspiration and hope to a lot of
(01:09):
women who are looking to solo RV.
What inspired you? I have.
Always dreamed most of my adult life life of just getting myself
a little Airstream and tone it across the country and
experiencing this world out there.
That is for us to explore that. Is really cool.
So wait, did you have like a bucket list of places you wanted
to go? Like top three or something.
No, just out West. I left the coast of North
(01:32):
Carolina and my goal was to get to the West Coast and I started
with Washington. Nice, good, good, good.
First place to start like this. Now you've got, we're going to,
we're going to RIP this off likea Band-Aid.
This is really important becauseyou have something very special
coming up and I love to celebrate special things.
And one of these is your big birthday.
How are you going to celebrate your big birthday coming up?
(01:55):
I have no plans whatsoever. I have no idea.
Don't you want to maybe possiblydo a live or some really cool
special event for the world to? Watch.
I probably will. That's a great idea.
Yeah. Yeah, Everyone's going to know
it's my 60th birthday because I used to think 60 was old and I
(02:15):
should be in a rocking chair knitting.
I love it. OK, well, we're going to stay
tuned for that. We're going to talk about that
just a little bit. So let's talk about your, your
rig itself, your RV. So what made you choose an
Airstream? I just have.
Always dreamed of owning Airstream.
I thought I was going to have a little Bambi, but when I
discovered the basecam 20X it's an off road Airstream.
(02:36):
I liked it. I like it's I'm looking at it
right now It's it's all open. I feel really safe with the the
off road tires. It's got the lift on it.
I can go off roading. It feels really safe on the
highway. I I love my little Airstream as
under 100 and square. Feet I love the the base camp as
well. It's one of my favorite
airstreams out there. So as a solo female, let's talk
(02:58):
about safety. So you feel safe in your
Airstream. Are there other things that you
think about? Because that's the first
question people always ask, you know, do you feel safe on the
road? How do you feel safe on the
road? I have really never felt fearful
of being on the road, fearful ofmountain passes, yes, which I've
gone over a lot of them. I feel that as a woman that you
(03:20):
have to wear confidence to feel safe.
People are always asking me, do you have protection?
I do have protection and we won't go into what that is, but
I do. But I feel my confidence and the
bad ass look that I give off when I go into places like
creepy gas stations is the thingthat makes me feel the safest.
(03:42):
I'm really fortunate I haven't broke down or anything yet and
I'm knocking on wood that I never do.
But yeah, I I don't feel, I feelfearful when I'm on mountain
passes, but I've overcome a lot of them.
And I just believe you hit fear face on and you just plow
through it. That's.
Amazing and it it takes a lot ofcourage to do that.
(04:03):
So that's pretty amazing to to do that.
Have you always been the way or just just when you start RV
like? I've never been one to like, be
full of fear. I mean, yeah, there were
definitely things that when I started this whole journey that
were fearful, but it was more going over the mountains than
anything. And I've, I don't know, I don't
(04:27):
watch scary movies. I don't put scary things in my
head because if I do, then that would help with the fear.
Yeah. I don't know.
I, I really haven't ever been a really, really fearful person
with a lot of anxiety. I just kind of my personality, I
guess. I don't know.
I get it. I, well, I got tucked up
mountain passes because this is the first year I'm used to the
(04:49):
East Coast, you know, Smoky Mountains, you know, larger
hills, things like that. And in their mind, it's 5000,
you know, feet and vilation in the Rockies, it's like 12,000.
You know, we're talking a much higher situation, much steeper
inclines, hairpin turns, things like that.
So I get it. This is the first year I did
that. And it really did take me takes,
(05:09):
you know, a lot of breathing, a lot of concentration, a lot of
just taking a step at a time, going slowly, not letting people
from behind me push me as speed that I don't feel comfortable.
You're towing and towing. I can't imagine how that feels.
I, I, I'm not, I mean, one thing, the highways are
engineered to keep you away fromgoing over those 12,000
(05:30):
elevation mountains. The highest I've gone is like
8000. And the more I did it, the more
comfortable I felt. And sometimes I went over them
and didn't even realize I was going over them.
And I was so fearful of them. And I'm going to try really hard
not to cry because the fear was so real.
And then it got to the point where it's like over a huge
(05:52):
mountain. I didn't even know it.
Yeah, it is very different towing.
I've done it in a Jeep Wrangler.I've been on the Rocky Mountains
and a Jeep Wrangler. But towing is definitely
different. And you cannot let other people
pressure you into going to speed.
They think you should be going. Correct.
Correct. Big big take away there, ladies.
(06:14):
Big take away. Let's talk about how do you find
places to park? Are you a typical State Park
person? Do you like to boondock?
What's your? I love to boondock.
I actually actually am mooch docking right now at a neighbor
or at a friend's house. And but I'm boondocking.
I'm not connected or anything, but I love being out in the
(06:36):
woods, being along a river. I camped at the Yellowstone
River for seven nights, totally boondocking.
I love it. Call me crazy, whatever you
will. I love being self-sufficient and
self-contained. It is just the most empowering
feeling as a woman to know I'm taking care of everything here.
(06:59):
It really is. And now it's crazy, but it is
and that's my favorite. But I have done state parks, I
have done some national parks and but ultimately I love just
being out in nature and being feral.
I have a friend who has actuallyhas a a page called Feral Chick
Outdoors. I'm like, that's a great name.
I love that idea. That is, I'm going to have to
(07:20):
find her. Yeah.
OK, so since you're outdoors andyou're boondocking, how do you
stay in touch with family and friends?
How do you stay connected All ofmy.
Family has my location. I share my location with them.
Nobody ever seems to worry aboutme too much because I know mom
mom's going to be fine. I have a couple friends.
Let's share my location. I don't go like miles and miles
(07:43):
into mountains on dirt roads. I have been up mountains and
down mountains and wondered why did GPS take me here?
I wasn't supposed to go here. I have camped to some
campgrounds that are definitely up in the mountains state parks
and I loved it. I absolutely loved it.
But I have 5 GI have my star link, I have a personal hotspot.
(08:08):
And so far those have all workedfor me.
There's been sometimes I had SOSwhere Yep, Nope, nobody's going
to get in touch with me here. And I just go with it and I I'm
like, this is my time to be in nature.
And yeah. For women over 50, myself
included, we're all talking about this.
What is the advice that you would give a woman over 50
(08:28):
starting this? She's never thought about RV ING
before. If you had to give her like a
couple, like, you know, pearls of wisdom to think about, what
would you would you tell her? First of all, just do it.
Research, make a plan and then just do it.
But there is research that goes behind it.
What kind of, you know, RV or van do I want?
(08:48):
Do I want to RV or do I want a van?
Some research? You can't just jump into this
and you know, not have any idea what you're doing.
I sold my house in 2023. I was supposed to do this in
2023. My mom suddenly passed away and,
and that just threw me for a loop and I wasn't emotionally
ready until 2025. I started this in March.
(09:09):
Just do it. Don't let fear hold you back.
You are capable of so much more than what you think you are.
And while you're doing that research and you're preparing,
you got to, like work on yourself.
If you haven't gone out to eat by yourself or you haven't gone
on a day trip by yourself or a little road trip, you cannot do
this. You got to like, do those baby
(09:32):
steps that lead up to getting that RV or van and hitting the
road. You have to be comfortable and
confident enough to sit at a restaurant and just look around
at everybody and be like yeah, this is what I'm doing and it
doesn't bother me one bit at all.
So those are my 2 top tips rightright off the the gate I.
Love that advice. I'm going to tell you right now,
I think it I don't think I've heard that one about going to a
(09:53):
restaurant by yourself or doing things by yourself.
It's really important because there are times when you, you
know, you really do have to be comfortable with yourself in
this whole journey and trying todo this now.
It's great when you can have friends and companions and
whoever took to go, you know, travel with, but at the end of
the day, you're the one out there doing it.
So really cool. Yeah, No one's coming to rescue
you. You know, you have to get in
(10:14):
that mindset that when I'm out here, no one is coming to rescue
me. I am responsible for this
journey on my own. There's no man.
Yeah, I do have roadside assistance, thank God.
I have not had to use it yet. But yeah, you've got to be
comfortable doing those little things before you start off on a
big journey like this. Let's talk about that.
(10:35):
So you have roadside assistance.Are there any other memberships
or things that you've joined that have helped you out?
I have a lot of apps that I use to find my Boo knocking spots.
I use Campendium app and I overlander.
Those are my 2 top apps for finding places to stay.
Campendium has state parks, it has all kinds of parks.
(10:57):
I do have 1000 trails membershipthat is like RV resorts and when
I go there it's very different because I'm sharing my camping
experience with everybody else. But sometimes it's nice to like
have all the hookups. You know, I got my sewer, my
electric, my water and a hot shower because I have a wet bath
(11:18):
here and it's a military shower.And so sometimes it's really
nice to have that. You know, I do have some friends
I've mooch stalked off of them. Family members are mooch stalked
off of. Mooch stalking is when you're
sitting in someone's driveway and you're taking a shower in
their house every now and then. And you might be hooked up to
them, but you've got a free place to stay and it's really
(11:39):
kind of fun. But yeah, those are my 2 top
apps that I love. There are a lot of other ones
out there. And you'll learn once you get in
this community, all the different apps that help you
help you out. So let's let's.
Talk about some money savings and how we're making money on
the road because a lot of people, that's the first
questions they say, well, how can you afford to go on the
(11:59):
road? So do you work part time?
How do you What are your money strategies?
I do a lot of different things. I have a lot of multiple streams
of income. I am a Wellness coach.
I've been a brand partner with Young Living for eight years,
and I work with women, perimenopause, menopause, how to
have a holistic lifestyle. I'm a content creator.
I do content for companies and brands.
(12:23):
A lot of them reach out to me, but sometimes I pitch myself,
which I don't like to do. I just started life mentoring
where I mentor women on their life and empowerment coaching
because so many women have reached out to me since I
started this journey. Like, I want to do that.
How do you do that? And so I have started that in
(12:43):
the last few months. And but yeah, that's pretty much
it is those different streams ofincome.
I am not a sugar Mama like some guys think I am.
This is my RV. This is my tiny home on wheels.
I have my Jeep. I have payments just like you
(13:03):
would if you had a house or a mortgage.
But it's a lot cheaper than whatI was I had before I started all
of this. So I kind of look at it that
way. Gas is the most expensive thing.
Of course, I'm very frugal. I don't go out to eat to a bunch
of restaurants and just like, you know, I don't, I don't go to
a lot of museums, things that cost money.
(13:25):
I love nature. I'm a big nature person.
I've got my National Park pass gets me into the parks for free
and sometimes you even get discounts on campgrounds.
But I like to find cheap places to camp or free and I use those
apps to find those places. Yeah, I'm a big fan of boond
(13:46):
decking. I'll tell you right now it's but
in the beginning when I first started becoming an RV person, I
didn't know boondocking. I didn't understand it.
I sort of got the idea, but the rig that I had was OK, but not
exactly, you know, ready for that.
And I honestly, it took me like 2 RV's before I actually really
got into boondocking. Then I was like, oh, I'm ready.
Like bring it on. Like why would I think any other
(14:07):
thing? And I and once you're right, I
do also have memberships to campgrounds.
But. You're camping with so many
people. You miss that privacy, you miss
that space. You know, I, I love being out in
nature. Nature's like my favorite thing.
So I'm currently under a lot of amazing trees right now that are
dropping acorns. So if you hear a loud bunk,
(14:30):
you'll know why it is fall. It is fall here in the
Southeast. So we are, we are definitely
having some acorns that are dropping these days.
OK, so you've got your rig, you're on the mission, you're
doing all these great things. What are some things that you
now think as far as items in your RV or items that your must
have items? Where are some things that you
must have? Because as a trailer, I'm sure
(14:51):
you have some things. Is it handy to have a cordless
drill? Like what do you use?
I have a generator, I have a ecoflow generator and I have a
power station. Power stations great for phone.
I got my laptop hooked up to a Right now both of the brands I
have are eco flow. I love eco flow and I am a brand
partner with them. But I'm not saying that just
because I I am. I researched them.
(15:15):
Blue Eddie is another one. A lot of people have gas
generators. I don't.
I probably should get one one day if I want a boondock for two
weeks at a time, you know, in one spot.
But those are the two top thingsthat I have to have.
I also have like a little Frenchpress that plugs in.
I have a little Nomad system is what it's called and I cook in
(15:38):
it. I use it more than I do my
propane stove. I, I am kind of limited on
propane. I have a propane furnace and so
that can run anywhere. But I also have a little Buddy,
which is a little propane heaterjust in case 'cause it's getting
chilly. It's like it was 45 last night.
And so those are the main things.
I have a flashlight, but I neverused it.
(16:01):
What else do I have? I have a water purifier.
You got to have a water purifieron your water hose that hooks up
to your fan or your RV. And I have a picture that's a
water purifier also for drinkingwater.
Those are probably to me the most important things.
I live pretty simple. I don't even, I got my pepper
(16:22):
spray, I got my bear spray. But other than that, clothes,
warm clothes, hats. Other than that, I have a nice
wool blanket to keep me warm. I got a lot of blankets actually
on my bed. But yeah, that's pretty much it.
I think I do have a drill. I have a drill that charges up.
(16:44):
I've got all the tools. I have a tool bag.
It's very empowering to have a tool bag.
And you know, you got to have those tools.
You just never know when you might need them.
I have a lug wrench where I I torque my tires and get out
there and do that. But yeah, that's those are the
necessities for me. Those are the top necessities.
And the fact that you have all that, I always said it's duct
(17:06):
tape and zip ties. If it can't be fixed with those
two things, watch out. Yeah, I do have duct tape.
I haven't used it yet. I do have the zip ties.
I haven't even used those yet. Yeah, I don't know, Like, I
mean, I really, I'm very fortunate.
You are very fortunate someone is looking out for you.
I love it. OK, so we talked about how
you're saving money. I'm going to put that in your
(17:27):
budget column and some of the memberships that you joined.
Are there other people that you watched or people that inspired
you to start this? Is there something that you just
said? You know, one person in
particular, the Airstream guy, this guy has lived in a 16 foot
Bambi for seven years now. And I just watched him on
(17:47):
Instagram travel all over and have these incredible pictures
of his little Airstream out there.
And he had a a Jeep Wrangler that he towed it with at 1st and
it was the same color as mine. And then he upgraded to a Jeep
Gladiator and tows it with that now.
But that was my first. That was my first one.
(18:09):
That was it. And then I little by little,
started following all kinds of people and women that just
really empowered me along the way.
So many, there's just so many. I can't even begin to.
One person. Angie, Nature girl Angie, she
has been doing this for four years as a nomad and she totally
inspired me on Instagram. And I've met people.
(18:31):
I, I don't meet a lot of women though that are doing this.
So I, you know, out there, I have been a lot of guys, but I
don't meet a lot of women. But that is one of the things
when you're researching, get outthere and find all kinds of
people doing the same thing. It's not difficult to find them.
Yeah, I think finding community,that's one of the reasons we
even exist, is that to create more opportunities for
(18:53):
community, for women to meet other women who are out there.
Like you said, sometimes it can be difficult to do that.
That's one of the reasons, you know what?
We like RV Queens. We wear our crowns proudly.
Sometimes they're tilted just a little.
Little fun there. Got to love it.
I love it so. So what else is coming up in
your life? Anything new and exciting?
We got the birthday coming up. Anything else?
I will be going to visit my daughter, son-in-law and my
(19:15):
precious granddaughter in California and I'm really
excited about that. I am going to do some future
caravanning with a couple other nomad women.
Excited about that. Maybe down at Arizona for the
winter. I fly by the seat of my pants.
I mean, people are like, you have it all planned out.
(19:36):
Like, Nope, I don't. And I am the prime example that
you don't have to have it all together.
You don't have to have this big exuberant plan of where you're
going to be months from now. Because I have no clue.
I have no clue where I'm going to be in January.
I'm thinking I'll probably be inArizona where it's warm, but I,
(19:58):
I, I kind of like, I kind of like doing it like that, you
know, I, I like the adventure ofit.
I'm crazy, I know, but I do, I'm, I'm a, yeah.
I don't have plans. I just plan on being a nomad as
long as my health will allow me to.
And I'm just like I'm just getting started after 7 1/2
months. That's amazing.
And I, I think you, you, you brought up a point which is
(20:19):
health, you know, you're, I had a health issue this past summer
and it really changed what I could do.
I couldn't do all the hikes I want to do.
So you can't take these things for granted, ladies, you got to
get out there. You got to go do it while you.
Can, yeah. Because there's a lot, a lot of
things that change at a certain age that you may not have the
mobility for or, you know, it's,it is life.
It is, it is what it is. So all right, Mermaid, where do
(20:42):
we get the name? OK, so I lived on the coast of
North Carolina for 14 years and I was the silver mermaid, silver
hair mermaid. I lived in the ocean and when I
started this, I'm like, my Airstream needs a name.
I'm no longer the silver mermaid.
She's the silver mermaid. So I gave her the name and I'm
(21:05):
on the West Coast now. I have not been in the water
yet. I haven't done the cold plunge
because that water's really cold.
But yeah, that's kind of where it came from.
So I'm transplanting to a West Coast mermaid from the East
Coast and and I love it. That's a great idea.
I love that. I think it's really cute.
I was going to say, things are very different on the West Coast
versus East Coast. I don't know if you tried the
(21:27):
boondocking on the East Coast. That's a very different
situation. It's a lot more state parks,
federal parks, but it's really hard to do so for those people
who are thinking about boondocking, you know, we talked
about Iowa Lander and Camp Indiaand things like that.
Those are. Have you tried on X?
Off road yet yes, I have Onyx. I have the dirt as of the dirt
DYRT, but I just always go back to I overlander and campinium.
(21:52):
Yeah, I need to get all I need to learn Onyx because I've got
it and I. You're here's the thing, you're
going to love it. And I say this lovingly.
I mean, they've got the dispersed camping a layer on it.
So all of a sudden you see the map and you see all these yellow
lines and going, Oh my gosh, I can camp there.
It's amazing. It just shows you all these
places. Yeah, I need to get on there and
(22:14):
learn it. I do.
I have so many apps. Is the problem.
Like I just got to learn it. I just got to.
I get it. Very cool.
All right, So do me a favor, if people want to find you in the
world, where are they going to find and get in touch with?
You on Instagram the period silver mermaid and on YouTube
which I'm just getting started, it's silver Mermaid adventures.
(22:37):
Those are my 2 hotspots, but I'man Instagram girl.
I've been on there for 15 years.And so like that's the, that's
my main place. But I don't tell people where I
am in real time. They know I'm on the West Coast
now and if they follow me on Instagram, they might have an
idea of what state I'm in, but they may not because I don't
(22:59):
always do everything in real time.
You have to think of your safety.
That's a huge issue. As a woman, I get nervous when I
see some of these women that aresharing where they're at and
stuff. I'm like, whoa, no way.
I just don't do it. I don't.
There's too many creeps out there.
We're going to do a fun thing. We're going to.
It's called this or that. It's really, it's like a rapid
fire. Are you ready?
You're going to pick one or the other.
Here we go. It's going to be really simple.
Ready. OK.
(23:20):
Would you rather camp in the mountains or on the beach?
On the beach. On the beach?
OK, Would you rather be in an RVresort or boondocking?
Boondocking. Of course.
OK. Would you rather have sweet or
sour? Sweet.
Any particular kind of sweet? Chocolate.
Chocolate. Anything.
(23:42):
I love that cell phone. Ready Apple or Android?
Apple. And then as far as new things
coming up for you, you're going to be doing some travelling.
You just talked about caravanning, caravanning with
some women. Have you thought about doing a
meet up or coming to a meet up anytime soon in 2020?
6 I love to do a meet up and I have thought about it.
I'm just not organized to get myact together to do it, but I
(24:04):
want to. I definitely want to and, and
part of the the meeting up caravan is meeting up with some
other like minded women. But yeah, no, I would love to
get involved in that. I just haven't done it yet.
I'm just out there doing my own thing.
And I, I mean, I'm all about community.
(24:25):
I really am. But I'm not organized.
Not organized. And I'm kind of, we have to
invite you to an Ivy Queens community.
It's so much fun. The meet ups are giving so much
fun next year. And we'll definitely have some
on the West Coast, you know, formy West Coast peeps out there.
I would love to, I would love tomeet other women.
(24:48):
And I have women that reach out to me and they do invite me
like, oh, you know, there's a group of us here, whatever.
And I, yeah, I would love, I would love that.
All right, thank you so much, Sherry, for being my awesome
guest today. I cannot wait for our RV Queens
to learn all about your story and follow you and your journey
on Instagram. I know it's been really fun to
me for me to watch over the years.
And now I can watch your silver mermaid Airstream as it goes all
(25:11):
the way across the country and I'll look at amazing adventures.
So I can't wait to see the pictures.
Thanks for tuning into the RV Queens podcast.
I hope you found inspiration foryour next adventure, on or off
the road. Don't forget to subscribe, leave
a review, and connect with us onsocial media at RV Queens
Community for behind the scenes stories and travel tips.
Until next time, keep your wheels turning and your spirit
(25:33):
wild. We'll see you down the road.
I have really never felt fearfulof being on the road, fearful of
mountain passes, yes, which I'vegone over a lot of them.
I feel that as a woman that you have to wear confidence to feel
safe. Welcome to the RV Queens Podcast
where adventure meets the Open Rd.
(00:20):
I'm your host Charlie Grace, rolling through life one mile at
a time, sharing stories, interviews, tips, and real talk
about RV living, travel, and thefreedom to chase your own
version of home. Whether you're a full time RV or
a weekend warrior or just RV curious, you're in the right
place. So buckle up, grab your favorite
drink, and let's hit the road together.
(00:46):
All right, welcome everyone, andwelcome to the RV Queens
podcast. I've got special guest here
today. Her name is Sherry.
Some of you might know her as the Silver mermaid.
Now I know she doesn't have a tail.
I've checked this out. I've looked at her Instagram.
We've been talking about this a while.
But Sherry, welcome. Thank you.
I'm glad to be here. I'm so excited, I tell you what,
I've been watching your Instagram for a while now and
you've just given so much inspiration and hope to a lot of
(01:09):
women who are looking to solo RV.
What inspired you? I have.
Always dreamed most of my adult life life of just getting myself
a little Airstream and tone it across the country and
experiencing this world out there.
That is for us to explore that. Is really cool.
So wait, did you have like a bucket list of places you wanted
to go? Like top three or something.
No, just out West. I left the coast of North
(01:32):
Carolina and my goal was to get to the West Coast and I started
with Washington. Nice, good, good, good.
First place to start like this. Now you've got, we're going to,
we're going to RIP this off likea Band-Aid.
This is really important becauseyou have something very special
coming up and I love to celebrate special things.
And one of these is your big birthday.
How are you going to celebrate your big birthday coming up?
(01:55):
I have no plans whatsoever. I have no idea.
Don't you want to maybe possiblydo a live or some really cool
special event for the world to? Watch.
I probably will. That's a great idea.
Yeah. Yeah, Everyone's going to know
it's my 60th birthday because I used to think 60 was old and I
(02:15):
should be in a rocking chair knitting.
I love it. OK, well, we're going to stay
tuned for that. We're going to talk about that
just a little bit. So let's talk about your, your
rig itself, your RV. So what made you choose an
Airstream? I just have.
Always dreamed of owning Airstream.
I thought I was going to have a little Bambi, but when I
discovered the basecam 20X it's an off road Airstream.
(02:36):
I liked it. I like it's I'm looking at it
right now It's it's all open. I feel really safe with the the
off road tires. It's got the lift on it.
I can go off roading. It feels really safe on the
highway. I I love my little Airstream as
under 100 and square. Feet I love the the base camp as
well. It's one of my favorite
airstreams out there. So as a solo female, let's talk
(02:58):
about safety. So you feel safe in your
Airstream. Are there other things that you
think about? Because that's the first
question people always ask, you know, do you feel safe on the
road? How do you feel safe on the
road? I have really never felt fearful
of being on the road, fearful ofmountain passes, yes, which I've
gone over a lot of them. I feel that as a woman that you
(03:20):
have to wear confidence to feel safe.
People are always asking me, do you have protection?
I do have protection and we won't go into what that is, but
I do. But I feel my confidence and the
bad ass look that I give off when I go into places like
creepy gas stations is the thingthat makes me feel the safest.
(03:42):
I'm really fortunate I haven't broke down or anything yet and
I'm knocking on wood that I never do.
But yeah, I I don't feel, I feelfearful when I'm on mountain
passes, but I've overcome a lot of them.
And I just believe you hit fear face on and you just plow
through it. That's.
Amazing and it it takes a lot ofcourage to do that.
(04:03):
So that's pretty amazing to to do that.
Have you always been the way or just just when you start RV
like? I've never been one to like, be
full of fear. I mean, yeah, there were
definitely things that when I started this whole journey that
were fearful, but it was more going over the mountains than
anything. And I've, I don't know, I don't
(04:27):
watch scary movies. I don't put scary things in my
head because if I do, then that would help with the fear.
Yeah. I don't know.
I, I really haven't ever been a really, really fearful person
with a lot of anxiety. I just kind of my personality, I
guess. I don't know.
I get it. I, well, I got tucked up
mountain passes because this is the first year I'm used to the
(04:49):
East Coast, you know, Smoky Mountains, you know, larger
hills, things like that. And in their mind, it's 5000,
you know, feet and vilation in the Rockies, it's like 12,000.
You know, we're talking a much higher situation, much steeper
inclines, hairpin turns, things like that.
So I get it. This is the first year I did
that. And it really did take me takes,
(05:09):
you know, a lot of breathing, a lot of concentration, a lot of
just taking a step at a time, going slowly, not letting people
from behind me push me as speed that I don't feel comfortable.
You're towing and towing. I can't imagine how that feels.
I, I, I'm not, I mean, one thing, the highways are
engineered to keep you away fromgoing over those 12,000
(05:30):
elevation mountains. The highest I've gone is like
8000. And the more I did it, the more
comfortable I felt. And sometimes I went over them
and didn't even realize I was going over them.
And I was so fearful of them. And I'm going to try really hard
not to cry because the fear was so real.
And then it got to the point where it's like over a huge
(05:52):
mountain. I didn't even know it.
Yeah, it is very different towing.
I've done it in a Jeep Wrangler.I've been on the Rocky Mountains
and a Jeep Wrangler. But towing is definitely
different. And you cannot let other people
pressure you into going to speed.
They think you should be going. Correct.
Correct. Big big take away there, ladies.
(06:14):
Big take away. Let's talk about how do you find
places to park? Are you a typical State Park
person? Do you like to boondock?
What's your? I love to boondock.
I actually actually am mooch docking right now at a neighbor
or at a friend's house. And but I'm boondocking.
I'm not connected or anything, but I love being out in the
(06:36):
woods, being along a river. I camped at the Yellowstone
River for seven nights, totally boondocking.
I love it. Call me crazy, whatever you
will. I love being self-sufficient and
self-contained. It is just the most empowering
feeling as a woman to know I'm taking care of everything here.
(06:59):
It really is. And now it's crazy, but it is
and that's my favorite. But I have done state parks, I
have done some national parks and but ultimately I love just
being out in nature and being feral.
I have a friend who has actuallyhas a a page called Feral Chick
Outdoors. I'm like, that's a great name.
I love that idea. That is, I'm going to have to
(07:20):
find her. Yeah.
OK, so since you're outdoors andyou're boondocking, how do you
stay in touch with family and friends?
How do you stay connected All ofmy.
Family has my location. I share my location with them.
Nobody ever seems to worry aboutme too much because I know mom
mom's going to be fine. I have a couple friends.
Let's share my location. I don't go like miles and miles
(07:43):
into mountains on dirt roads. I have been up mountains and
down mountains and wondered why did GPS take me here?
I wasn't supposed to go here. I have camped to some
campgrounds that are definitely up in the mountains state parks
and I loved it. I absolutely loved it.
But I have 5 GI have my star link, I have a personal hotspot.
(08:08):
And so far those have all workedfor me.
There's been sometimes I had SOSwhere Yep, Nope, nobody's going
to get in touch with me here. And I just go with it and I I'm
like, this is my time to be in nature.
And yeah. For women over 50, myself
included, we're all talking about this.
What is the advice that you would give a woman over 50
(08:28):
starting this? She's never thought about RV ING
before. If you had to give her like a
couple, like, you know, pearls of wisdom to think about, what
would you would you tell her? First of all, just do it.
Research, make a plan and then just do it.
But there is research that goes behind it.
What kind of, you know, RV or van do I want?
(08:48):
Do I want to RV or do I want a van?
Some research? You can't just jump into this
and you know, not have any idea what you're doing.
I sold my house in 2023. I was supposed to do this in
2023. My mom suddenly passed away and,
and that just threw me for a loop and I wasn't emotionally
ready until 2025. I started this in March.
(09:09):
Just do it. Don't let fear hold you back.
You are capable of so much more than what you think you are.
And while you're doing that research and you're preparing,
you got to, like work on yourself.
If you haven't gone out to eat by yourself or you haven't gone
on a day trip by yourself or a little road trip, you cannot do
this. You got to like, do those baby
(09:32):
steps that lead up to getting that RV or van and hitting the
road. You have to be comfortable and
confident enough to sit at a restaurant and just look around
at everybody and be like yeah, this is what I'm doing and it
doesn't bother me one bit at all.
So those are my 2 top tips rightright off the the gate I.
Love that advice. I'm going to tell you right now,
I think it I don't think I've heard that one about going to a
(09:53):
restaurant by yourself or doing things by yourself.
It's really important because there are times when you, you
know, you really do have to be comfortable with yourself in
this whole journey and trying todo this now.
It's great when you can have friends and companions and
whoever took to go, you know, travel with, but at the end of
the day, you're the one out there doing it.
So really cool. Yeah, No one's coming to rescue
you. You know, you have to get in
(10:14):
that mindset that when I'm out here, no one is coming to rescue
me. I am responsible for this
journey on my own. There's no man.
Yeah, I do have roadside assistance, thank God.
I have not had to use it yet. But yeah, you've got to be
comfortable doing those little things before you start off on a
big journey like this. Let's talk about that.
(10:35):
So you have roadside assistance.Are there any other memberships
or things that you've joined that have helped you out?
I have a lot of apps that I use to find my Boo knocking spots.
I use Campendium app and I overlander.
Those are my 2 top apps for finding places to stay.
Campendium has state parks, it has all kinds of parks.
(10:57):
I do have 1000 trails membershipthat is like RV resorts and when
I go there it's very different because I'm sharing my camping
experience with everybody else. But sometimes it's nice to like
have all the hookups. You know, I got my sewer, my
electric, my water and a hot shower because I have a wet bath
(11:18):
here and it's a military shower.And so sometimes it's really
nice to have that. You know, I do have some friends
I've mooch stalked off of them. Family members are mooch stalked
off of. Mooch stalking is when you're
sitting in someone's driveway and you're taking a shower in
their house every now and then. And you might be hooked up to
them, but you've got a free place to stay and it's really
(11:39):
kind of fun. But yeah, those are my 2 top
apps that I love. There are a lot of other ones
out there. And you'll learn once you get in
this community, all the different apps that help you
help you out. So let's let's.
Talk about some money savings and how we're making money on
the road because a lot of people, that's the first
questions they say, well, how can you afford to go on the
(11:59):
road? So do you work part time?
How do you What are your money strategies?
I do a lot of different things. I have a lot of multiple streams
of income. I am a Wellness coach.
I've been a brand partner with Young Living for eight years,
and I work with women, perimenopause, menopause, how to
have a holistic lifestyle. I'm a content creator.
I do content for companies and brands.
(12:23):
A lot of them reach out to me, but sometimes I pitch myself,
which I don't like to do. I just started life mentoring
where I mentor women on their life and empowerment coaching
because so many women have reached out to me since I
started this journey. Like, I want to do that.
How do you do that? And so I have started that in
(12:43):
the last few months. And but yeah, that's pretty much
it is those different streams ofincome.
I am not a sugar Mama like some guys think I am.
This is my RV. This is my tiny home on wheels.
I have my Jeep. I have payments just like you
(13:03):
would if you had a house or a mortgage.
But it's a lot cheaper than whatI was I had before I started all
of this. So I kind of look at it that
way. Gas is the most expensive thing.
Of course, I'm very frugal. I don't go out to eat to a bunch
of restaurants and just like, you know, I don't, I don't go to
a lot of museums, things that cost money.
(13:25):
I love nature. I'm a big nature person.
I've got my National Park pass gets me into the parks for free
and sometimes you even get discounts on campgrounds.
But I like to find cheap places to camp or free and I use those
apps to find those places. Yeah, I'm a big fan of boond
(13:46):
decking. I'll tell you right now it's but
in the beginning when I first started becoming an RV person, I
didn't know boondocking. I didn't understand it.
I sort of got the idea, but the rig that I had was OK, but not
exactly, you know, ready for that.
And I honestly, it took me like 2 RV's before I actually really
got into boondocking. Then I was like, oh, I'm ready.
Like bring it on. Like why would I think any other
(14:07):
thing? And I and once you're right, I
do also have memberships to campgrounds.
But. You're camping with so many
people. You miss that privacy, you miss
that space. You know, I, I love being out in
nature. Nature's like my favorite thing.
So I'm currently under a lot of amazing trees right now that are
dropping acorns. So if you hear a loud bunk,
(14:30):
you'll know why it is fall. It is fall here in the
Southeast. So we are, we are definitely
having some acorns that are dropping these days.
OK, so you've got your rig, you're on the mission, you're
doing all these great things. What are some things that you
now think as far as items in your RV or items that your must
have items? Where are some things that you
must have? Because as a trailer, I'm sure
(14:51):
you have some things. Is it handy to have a cordless
drill? Like what do you use?
I have a generator, I have a ecoflow generator and I have a
power station. Power stations great for phone.
I got my laptop hooked up to a Right now both of the brands I
have are eco flow. I love eco flow and I am a brand
partner with them. But I'm not saying that just
because I I am. I researched them.
(15:15):
Blue Eddie is another one. A lot of people have gas
generators. I don't.
I probably should get one one day if I want a boondock for two
weeks at a time, you know, in one spot.
But those are the two top thingsthat I have to have.
I also have like a little Frenchpress that plugs in.
I have a little Nomad system is what it's called and I cook in
(15:38):
it. I use it more than I do my
propane stove. I, I am kind of limited on
propane. I have a propane furnace and so
that can run anywhere. But I also have a little Buddy,
which is a little propane heaterjust in case 'cause it's getting
chilly. It's like it was 45 last night.
And so those are the main things.
I have a flashlight, but I neverused it.
(16:01):
What else do I have? I have a water purifier.
You got to have a water purifieron your water hose that hooks up
to your fan or your RV. And I have a picture that's a
water purifier also for drinkingwater.
Those are probably to me the most important things.
I live pretty simple. I don't even, I got my pepper
(16:22):
spray, I got my bear spray. But other than that, clothes,
warm clothes, hats. Other than that, I have a nice
wool blanket to keep me warm. I got a lot of blankets actually
on my bed. But yeah, that's pretty much it.
I think I do have a drill. I have a drill that charges up.
(16:44):
I've got all the tools. I have a tool bag.
It's very empowering to have a tool bag.
And you know, you got to have those tools.
You just never know when you might need them.
I have a lug wrench where I I torque my tires and get out
there and do that. But yeah, that's those are the
necessities for me. Those are the top necessities.
And the fact that you have all that, I always said it's duct
(17:06):
tape and zip ties. If it can't be fixed with those
two things, watch out. Yeah, I do have duct tape.
I haven't used it yet. I do have the zip ties.
I haven't even used those yet. Yeah, I don't know, Like, I
mean, I really, I'm very fortunate.
You are very fortunate someone is looking out for you.
I love it. OK, so we talked about how
you're saving money. I'm going to put that in your
(17:27):
budget column and some of the memberships that you joined.
Are there other people that you watched or people that inspired
you to start this? Is there something that you just
said? You know, one person in
particular, the Airstream guy, this guy has lived in a 16 foot
Bambi for seven years now. And I just watched him on
(17:47):
Instagram travel all over and have these incredible pictures
of his little Airstream out there.
And he had a a Jeep Wrangler that he towed it with at 1st and
it was the same color as mine. And then he upgraded to a Jeep
Gladiator and tows it with that now.
But that was my first. That was my first one.
(18:09):
That was it. And then I little by little,
started following all kinds of people and women that just
really empowered me along the way.
So many, there's just so many. I can't even begin to.
One person. Angie, Nature girl Angie, she
has been doing this for four years as a nomad and she totally
inspired me on Instagram. And I've met people.
(18:31):
I, I don't meet a lot of women though that are doing this.
So I, you know, out there, I have been a lot of guys, but I
don't meet a lot of women. But that is one of the things
when you're researching, get outthere and find all kinds of
people doing the same thing. It's not difficult to find them.
Yeah, I think finding community,that's one of the reasons we
even exist, is that to create more opportunities for
(18:53):
community, for women to meet other women who are out there.
Like you said, sometimes it can be difficult to do that.
That's one of the reasons, you know what?
We like RV Queens. We wear our crowns proudly.
Sometimes they're tilted just a little.
Little fun there. Got to love it.
I love it so. So what else is coming up in
your life? Anything new and exciting?
We got the birthday coming up. Anything else?
I will be going to visit my daughter, son-in-law and my
(19:15):
precious granddaughter in California and I'm really
excited about that. I am going to do some future
caravanning with a couple other nomad women.
Excited about that. Maybe down at Arizona for the
winter. I fly by the seat of my pants.
I mean, people are like, you have it all planned out.
(19:36):
Like, Nope, I don't. And I am the prime example that
you don't have to have it all together.
You don't have to have this big exuberant plan of where you're
going to be months from now. Because I have no clue.
I have no clue where I'm going to be in January.
I'm thinking I'll probably be inArizona where it's warm, but I,
(19:58):
I, I kind of like, I kind of like doing it like that, you
know, I, I like the adventure ofit.
I'm crazy, I know, but I do, I'm, I'm a, yeah.
I don't have plans. I just plan on being a nomad as
long as my health will allow me to.
And I'm just like I'm just getting started after 7 1/2
months. That's amazing.
And I, I think you, you, you brought up a point which is
(20:19):
health, you know, you're, I had a health issue this past summer
and it really changed what I could do.
I couldn't do all the hikes I want to do.
So you can't take these things for granted, ladies, you got to
get out there. You got to go do it while you.
Can, yeah. Because there's a lot, a lot of
things that change at a certain age that you may not have the
mobility for or, you know, it's,it is life.
It is, it is what it is. So all right, Mermaid, where do
(20:42):
we get the name? OK, so I lived on the coast of
North Carolina for 14 years and I was the silver mermaid, silver
hair mermaid. I lived in the ocean and when I
started this, I'm like, my Airstream needs a name.
I'm no longer the silver mermaid.
She's the silver mermaid. So I gave her the name and I'm
(21:05):
on the West Coast now. I have not been in the water
yet. I haven't done the cold plunge
because that water's really cold.
But yeah, that's kind of where it came from.
So I'm transplanting to a West Coast mermaid from the East
Coast and and I love it. That's a great idea.
I love that. I think it's really cute.
I was going to say, things are very different on the West Coast
versus East Coast. I don't know if you tried the
(21:27):
boondocking on the East Coast. That's a very different
situation. It's a lot more state parks,
federal parks, but it's really hard to do so for those people
who are thinking about boondocking, you know, we talked
about Iowa Lander and Camp Indiaand things like that.
Those are. Have you tried on X?
Off road yet yes, I have Onyx. I have the dirt as of the dirt
DYRT, but I just always go back to I overlander and campinium.
(21:52):
Yeah, I need to get all I need to learn Onyx because I've got
it and I. You're here's the thing, you're
going to love it. And I say this lovingly.
I mean, they've got the dispersed camping a layer on it.
So all of a sudden you see the map and you see all these yellow
lines and going, Oh my gosh, I can camp there.
It's amazing. It just shows you all these
places. Yeah, I need to get on there and
(22:14):
learn it. I do.
I have so many apps. Is the problem.
Like I just got to learn it. I just got to.
I get it. Very cool.
All right, So do me a favor, if people want to find you in the
world, where are they going to find and get in touch with?
You on Instagram the period silver mermaid and on YouTube
which I'm just getting started, it's silver Mermaid adventures.
(22:37):
Those are my 2 hotspots, but I'man Instagram girl.
I've been on there for 15 years.And so like that's the, that's
my main place. But I don't tell people where I
am in real time. They know I'm on the West Coast
now and if they follow me on Instagram, they might have an
idea of what state I'm in, but they may not because I don't
(22:59):
always do everything in real time.
You have to think of your safety.
That's a huge issue. As a woman, I get nervous when I
see some of these women that aresharing where they're at and
stuff. I'm like, whoa, no way.
I just don't do it. I don't.
There's too many creeps out there.
We're going to do a fun thing. We're going to.
It's called this or that. It's really, it's like a rapid
fire. Are you ready?
You're going to pick one or the other.
Here we go. It's going to be really simple.
Ready. OK.
(23:20):
Would you rather camp in the mountains or on the beach?
On the beach. On the beach?
OK, Would you rather be in an RVresort or boondocking?
Boondocking. Of course.
OK. Would you rather have sweet or
sour? Sweet.
Any particular kind of sweet? Chocolate.
Chocolate. Anything.
(23:42):
I love that cell phone. Ready Apple or Android?
Apple. And then as far as new things
coming up for you, you're going to be doing some travelling.
You just talked about caravanning, caravanning with
some women. Have you thought about doing a
meet up or coming to a meet up anytime soon in 2020?
6 I love to do a meet up and I have thought about it.
I'm just not organized to get myact together to do it, but I
(24:04):
want to. I definitely want to and, and
part of the the meeting up caravan is meeting up with some
other like minded women. But yeah, no, I would love to
get involved in that. I just haven't done it yet.
I'm just out there doing my own thing.
And I, I mean, I'm all about community.
(24:25):
I really am. But I'm not organized.
Not organized. And I'm kind of, we have to
invite you to an Ivy Queens community.
It's so much fun. The meet ups are giving so much
fun next year. And we'll definitely have some
on the West Coast, you know, formy West Coast peeps out there.
I would love to, I would love tomeet other women.
(24:48):
And I have women that reach out to me and they do invite me
like, oh, you know, there's a group of us here, whatever.
And I, yeah, I would love, I would love that.
All right, thank you so much, Sherry, for being my awesome
guest today. I cannot wait for our RV Queens
to learn all about your story and follow you and your journey
on Instagram. I know it's been really fun to
me for me to watch over the years.
And now I can watch your silver mermaid Airstream as it goes all
(25:11):
the way across the country and I'll look at amazing adventures.
So I can't wait to see the pictures.
Thanks for tuning into the RV Queens podcast.
I hope you found inspiration foryour next adventure, on or off
the road. Don't forget to subscribe, leave
a review, and connect with us onsocial media at RV Queens
Community for behind the scenes stories and travel tips.
Until next time, keep your wheels turning and your spirit
(25:33):
wild. We'll see you down the road.
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