Psycho Silo

This year, we arrive at the Silo to find a full parking lot in the early afternoon.  We were a little surprised at the crowd this early in the day.  On center stage was a Rod Stewart tribute and look-alike band playing.  A closer look at the crowd revealed die-hard Rod Stewart fans.  People sporting their favorite Rod Stewart concert t-shirts.  The energy was high with people dancing and singing with the performer.  This guy sounded and looked closely like the real Rod Stewart.  There were zero vacant seats at the bar.  It was standing room only.   I look closer at the energetic performer on stage and notice that the entire front row of concertgoers are all in wheelchairs!  Fans in wheelchairs parked in a large half-moon shape surrounding the stage.

Brad and I found the old grain elevator converted to an outdoor bar in Langley, Illinois, several years ago.  It is a unique ghost town decorated with antiques.  There are even small air planes in the treelike. Brad and I first visited Psycho Silo several years ago.  It was definitely before COVID.  We continue to stop during our trips through Illinois.  Our best memory was when Brad and I parked in the empty parking lot one afternoon.  It had been raining during our ride, so we had on our rain gear.  The rain cleared up, and the sun was now bright.  No other bikes or cars were in the parking lot.  We figured we were early because the hours are specific weekends only or something of the effect.  Brad’s pants were wet.  So he pulled them off to change them.  Brad is standing behind his motorcycle in his “tighty whities.” He is rummaging through his bag on the back of his motorcycle for a dry pair of jeans.  Before he can pull out his dry jeans, a parade of cars and trucks enter the parking lot.  Vehicle after vehicle in an obvious convoy.  It must have been seriously 30 vehicles parked around us.  The empty parking lot became full within a minute.  The newly arrived guests were well dressed in suits and gowns.   A few paused to watch Brad as he hurriedly puts on a fresh pair of jeans.  It turns out that the group of vehicles were celebrating a wedding.  The reception was at Psycho Silo!

Brad gets a kick out of the scene and points out what appears to be medical professionals in the crowd.  There were a few folks wearing a type of hospital uniform with official key card type lanyards hanging around their necks.  We discover that a nearby assisted living home had provided its residents with a bus to attend the midday concert.  At the end of the concert we watched the residents get loaded into the bus.  We heard a staff member commenting that their next event was nap time!  What a treat!

As a small portion of the crowd departed, Brad and I secured seats at the bar.  The woman beside Brad was guarding a flower bouquet that the Rod Steward look alike gave to her.  She was wearing a Rod Steward t-shirt and had her two daughters with her.  He daughters were being overly protective of their mother.  Although she may have been 40 years older than Brad, the daughters gave Brad the stink eye and didn’t want him chatting with their mother.  Moments later the trio began chatting with me.  That is how I found out the flowers were from Rod Steward.  Other attendees present were jealous of the lady with the flowers.  The protective daughter has a son who is the local sheriff.  She was the type who wore her son’s sheriff badge.  When she found out that I was much younger than her plus retired, she flipped me the bird and stomped away!

Redneck Revival

 The Redneck Revival at Conesville, Iowa has been a fairly consistent stop over maybe the last ten years.  The event occurs twice a year around Memorial Day and Labor Day.  Brad and I have bonded with some folks there while enjoying the races and bands.  Over the years the group of friends have dwindled with understandable competing interests.  One notable friend, Fig, had a stroke a couple years before and can no longer attend the rallies.  The last time I saw Fig at Conesville he had raced a Ford Mustang down the drag strip.  Oh, that reminds me. One year Fig showed up at the rally after he converted his cargo trailer into a travel trailer.  He had built a bed that folds up along the wall inside the cargo trailer. So there was space for his motorcycle and car inside the trailer.  Plus he could sleep in the trailer when the car is removed.  What I remember is after the rally was over, several of us got texts from Dawn.  Dawn had slept late that morning, inside the trailer.  Fig woke early to shuttle things to his house in a nearby town.  He locked Dawn inside the cargo trailer where she was sleeping!  The camp ground was emptying out.  Dawn had texted everyone to find Fig and have him unlock the door.  I read the group texts hours later with a slight chuckle.  It might have been a funny story for everyone except Dawn!  I think Dawn made Fig put windows in the trailer later that year!  

It was Memorial Day 2025.  About seven members of the group of friends showed up at the last minute this year.  Brad and I are thankful for the opportunity to catch up with the friends that were present.  

This year we spent more time around the camp fire.  Dean and Dodie who we haven’t seen in a few years showed up with a truck load of firewood.  Dean has a firewood business near Des Moines.  Dean kept the campfire fed and we enjoyed its warmth.  The temperatures was really cold at night!  Daryl, Connie and Dawn joined us around the camp fires each night with all sorts of conversation topics!

One morning, I was enjoying my morning coffee with Dawn and Connie around the camp fire.  Daryl needed to replenish the water in his RV.  Dean and Brad were helping him.  They had filled a large bladder of water up at another location in the campground.  The water bladder was in the back of a utility ATV.  The guys were trying to figure out how to get the water from the bladder to the RV inlet tube without a pump.  We all began to watch the guys try and use physics to defy gravity.  Dean was using a cipher hose with no progress.  I realize that gravity will help.  The guys had everything they needed to solve the challenge.  The water bladder was in the back of an ATV Ranger with a dump bed.  Daryl has a dump type trailer hooked up to his RV.  The trailer allows Daryl to ride his trike, car or ATV up on the trailer bed without ramps.  So I suggest that the Ranger be back up onto the trailer.  Both the Ranger and the trailer should raise to dump until the height was above the inlet valve of the RV.  The picture can explain it better. It worked!  Now the ladies had water to wash the camp fire smoke out of their hair!  

RV life can be challenging when dry camping.  Water has to be conserved and toilets used at a minimum in order to remain in place for several day stretches.  The campground at Conesville is dry camping.  Porta-johns are readily available throughout the campground.  There is a shower house across the race track with a few showers. It is often crowded.  Water rationing was a topic of discussion one day around the camp fire.  Brad had told Dawn and Connie they could use the shower in Brad’s RV.  Dawn, being the guest in Daryl’s RV, took Brad up on the offer to use the shower in his Rock Star Bus.  I told Dawn that she had to take a Navy shower.  Dawn has no military background and I think I saw a glimpse of horror across her face when Brad insisted she HAD to take a Navy shower.  Surely a Navy shower must involve some sorts of debauchery.  After all, both Brad and I were telling Dawn that she must take one.  Brad finally explained the procedures of a Navy shower and assured Dawn that she’d be inside the RV alone.  She realized we were not pulling her leg or trying to get her into a compromising situation.  End result, Dawn took a Navy shower free of debauchery.