We left Washington, D.C., in a 14’ rental truck loaded with my friend's furniture. At the end of our first night, we slept at a friend’s apartment in Chicago. The second day we left Illinois and stopped in West Branch, Iowa at the birth place of President Herbert Hoover. I know, I know, but if you’ve followed this blog you're already aware that history is a love of mine. We continued until Kearney, Nebraska where we stayed for our second night.Our third stopover was in Crescent Junction, Utah. Having braved the Rocky Mountain overpass in the dark, we found ourselves running low on gas in an area of Utah that was running low on civilization. So we spent the night in our truck outside a gas station waiting for the sun to rise. In the morning, we had breakfast at the diner part of the gas station (The diner part of the gas station?) and drove to Las Vegas, where our final night was spent at the $2.99 all-you-can-eat buffet at the Circus Circus Casino.
The next day we drove to his new apartment in L.A.
You now have a core understanding of our trip. You also now know ten times more about our trip then the friend I went with.
No memory at all.
If you quizzed him on the trip, he would tell you we stayed in Chicago and then Circus Circus. He recalls nothing about the 1750 miles in between. I don’t get it. I remember every detail, he doesn’t remember Herbert Hoover. I ask you: how do you not remember being forced to stop at a presidential birthplace?! For years I feared he was going to write a book. The Pitfalls of Travel With Mr. Moose. Chapter 1: Avoid Presidential birthplaces.
Write a book? Luckily for me he doesn't remember ever reading a book.
Recently, I confessed to feeling guilty about that stop in Iowa, but insisted that the things I learned there have remained a part of my education. He stared at me with a blank expression.
“What are you talking about?”
“Hoover’s birthplace.”
“Who?”
“Herbert Hoover.”
“The vacuum guy?”
“Vacuum?…NO! President Herbert Hoover, West Branch, Iowa!”
Nothing. Nothing at all, not even a flicker of recognition. It was as if he hadn't been there with me. It is important to point out that there are no drugs involved here. We both tend to be fairly straight-laced. So no "trips" that would have wiped out his memory, or no chemicals that would have caused me to hallucinate Hoover’s hometown.
It is just the miraculous way the portion of the human brain that controls memory works. His problem is he retains nearly nothing long term. My problem is I retain nearly everything. Including all my messes, missteps and mistakes. Well, I guess every gift does have a downside.
Recently while reviewing the highlights of our trip with him, I got to the morning in Utah where we had breakfast in the diner part of the gas station.
Finally, after all these years, a light bulb went off and his own recollection of the two days in between Chicago and Las Vegas surfaced. And he said “Yeah, yeah I remember, the waitress was wearing Daisy Duke shorts.”
Well, I guess every downside does have a gift.
Poor Herbert. He could never catch a break.
Recently, I confessed to feeling guilty about that stop in Iowa, but insisted that the things I learned there have remained a part of my education. He stared at me with a blank expression.
“What are you talking about?”
“Hoover’s birthplace.”
“Who?”
“Herbert Hoover.”
“The vacuum guy?”
“Vacuum?…NO! President Herbert Hoover, West Branch, Iowa!”
Nothing. Nothing at all, not even a flicker of recognition. It was as if he hadn't been there with me. It is important to point out that there are no drugs involved here. We both tend to be fairly straight-laced. So no "trips" that would have wiped out his memory, or no chemicals that would have caused me to hallucinate Hoover’s hometown.
It is just the miraculous way the portion of the human brain that controls memory works. His problem is he retains nearly nothing long term. My problem is I retain nearly everything. Including all my messes, missteps and mistakes. Well, I guess every gift does have a downside.
Recently while reviewing the highlights of our trip with him, I got to the morning in Utah where we had breakfast in the diner part of the gas station.
Finally, after all these years, a light bulb went off and his own recollection of the two days in between Chicago and Las Vegas surfaced. And he said “Yeah, yeah I remember, the waitress was wearing Daisy Duke shorts.”
Well, I guess every downside does have a gift.Poor Herbert. He could never catch a break.
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