The ZMM journey - The route of Robert Pirsig in his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
17 Days in July 1968 - Part of the Pirsig Pages of Psybertron by Ian Glendinning
Hover and Link for additional information at each waypoint on the map below.
(Info will appear in top frame. To avoid entrapment, all new links will spawn new browser.)

Acknowledgements :
All locations, times and page numbers taken from ZMM 25th Anniversary Edition.
Corroborated with the Guide to ZMM by DiSanto and Steele.
Supported by additional information and photographs mainly from Henry Gurr at ZMMQuality.org

Time / Place / Narrative - Minneapolis, Minnesota. Starting out Day 1, Page 11
P11:"8:30 in the morning ... central plains, heading NW from Minneapolis toward the Dakotas". P12:"Now in July" when they started. Traveling on Honda Superhawk with son Chris aged "about 12" (aged 11 in fact, not 12 until December later that year) as pillion. Friends John and Sylvia Sutherland accompanying on their BMW. P17:"Monday morning" P27: "Four days on this prairie in July" foreseen in the early part of the trip. What is not clear from any source is precisely when in July the trip starts. Firecrackers found on day 2 suggest around 4th July, but no mention of 4th July in the narrative, so probably after. 17 day trip in total. Still July at the end. Best fit seems to be Monday 8th July 1968.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Picnic Stop, Minnesota. Day 1, Page 16
P16: They make a mid-morning stop "to stretch". It has wooden picnic benches, but is deserted at this time of day. Seems pretty certain they were traveling up Route 55 (parallel to Interstate 94). Henry Gurr has three of Pirsig's photographs at a picnic stop though it is not clear exactly where this is. [PhotoA] [PhotoB] [PhotoC] (In fact the whole of Day 1 is confused and uncertain - see Breckenridge and Oakes entries) Henry Gurr suggests the stop in the photographs is in fact early evening after they have crossed into North Dakota later that day, though this photograph would not be consistent with it being overcast and stormy by this time - always assuming the storm was real, not simply metaphorical as has been suggested (see Breckenridge entry).

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Time / Place / Narrative - Breckenridge, Minnesota. Day 1, Page 35 
P30: Pirsig misses a turning, despite a sign "big as a barn door". P28: He is distracted by a storm he has seen brewing on the horizon. (real and /or metaphorical ?) P35: The scenes missing the turning and the reference to "the situation in Breckenridge" make day 1 confused and highly uncertain in the book. Correspondence between Pirsig and Henry Gurr indicates the thunderstorm scene was invented anyway. Suspect this may be to cover-up some some prior bad experience in Breckenridge. We already know Pirsig is returning to the scenes of previous experience - (I wonder if maybe Breckenridge was part of that prior experience in a mental hospital ?) Henry also suggests the missed turn was where Route 55 turns sharply left (nr Elbow Lake) aiming to cross the Red River / Minnesota River into North Dakota at Fairmount - seems plausible. P31: Seems they carried on and crossed the freeway (I94) approaching Fergus Falls, before noticing and then having to turn left (on 210 ?) and cross at Breckenridge / Wahpeton.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Motel nr Oakes, North Dakota Night/Day 1/2, Page 37
P37: Pirsig is traveling apparently familiar roads as they approach the town where they are to spend the night and he leads them to a Motel already known to him, even though they are not on their originally planned route (by intuition he says, by earlier memory we surmise ?). Henry Gurr notes "In the novel, the first night's motel is not specified. From the evidence it was likely on Main Street, Oakes ND. There are currently only two motels listed in Oakes, both on opposite ends of Main Street, which runs E-W perpendicular to the ND Route 1, through town. SL says the E & I Motel in Oakes, best fits the book's descriptions." 

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Time / Place / Narrative - Ellendale, North Dakota Day 2, Page 50
P50: Early breakfast stop at 07:15 in Ellendale.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Hague, North Dakota Day 2, Page 54
P54: Pausing for gas at Hague and to enquire about alternative Missouri River crossings.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Mobridge, South Dakota Day 2, Page 55
P55: Crossing the Missouri River.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Lemmon, South Dakota Night/Day 2/3, Pages 62/69
P62/69 / Henry Gurr : The evening of the second day is spent camping / sleeping outside at the Shadehill Reservoir (reached by SD Rt. 73) 12 miles south of Lemmon. P63: Chris finds firecrackers (no mention of 4th July or other context ?) P69/71: Already hot at 09:00. Bacon and egg breakfast cooked over fire. Henry Gurr has Pirsig's photo from that morning [PhotoD] 

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Time / Place / Narrative - Bowman, North Dakota Day 3, Page 80
P80/81: Lunch stop in Bowman. Hot 102/104F, Needing to travel more slowly. Beer and air-conditioning calling.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Marmarth, North Dakota Day 3, Page 84
P84:

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Time / Place / Narrative - Baker, Montana Day 3, Page 85
P85: Even hotter 108/120F. Stop to eat in Baker

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Time / Place / Narrative - Miles City, Montana Night/Day 3/4, Page 97
P93/105: Arrive overlooking huge river valley (Yellowstone presumably). P97: Find hotel in Miles City in the afternoon. Sleep, bathe in cast-iron tub, evening stroll. P97/105: 10am, Laundry, Engine tuning, Bill's cycle shop. Steaks and Olympia Beer for lunch. Discussion about Pirsig's connection with governor of Montana killed in plane crash (!).

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Time / Place / Narrative - Laurel, Montana Night/Day 4/5, Page 118
P111: Only one anonymous mention of a little town "like Iowa" since Miles City. P118/119: Hotel in Laurel with "beautiful old wooden bedroom" P120: Breakfast in restaurant on "sunlit morning street" "So different from that lonely night in [Lemmon] South Dakota."

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Time / Place / Narrative - Red Lodge, Montana Day 5, Page 124
P120: Playing tag with little blue Porsche. P124: Winding up in high snow fields towards Yellowstone Park. Henry Gurr has two of Pirsig's photographs from the section between Red Lodge and Cooke City. [PhotoE] [PhotoF]

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Time / Place / Narrative - Cooke City, Montana Day 5, Page 137
P137: Cooke City at Silver Gate entrance to Yellowstone Park.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Yellowstone Park, Wyoming Day 5, Page 142
P142:

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Time / Place / Narrative - Gardiner, Montana Night/Day 5/6, Page 145
P145/146: Hotel in Gardiner at Mammoth Gate entrance to Yellowstone Park

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Time / Place / Narrative - Livingston, Montana Day 6, Page 146
P146:

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Time / Place / Narrative - Bozeman, Montana Nights/Days 6 to 12, Page 154/259
P154/259: In and around Bozeman for 6 nights, using the De Weeses house as a base. Henry Gurr has three of Pirsig's own photographs from this visit to the De Weeses. [PhotoG] [PhotoH] [PhotoI]
P154/173: First day in Bozeman (Day 6 of ZMM trip) - arriving, and dinner with other guests.
P174: Second and third days (Days 7 and 8) - loafing and riding in and around Bozeman
P174: Fourth day (Day 9) - Ride into Bozeman, Sutherlands depart for home. P177: Later on Fourth day (Day 9) - Visit to the old college in Bozeman (recalls Sarah's "seed crystal" moment)
P187/226: Fifth day (Day 10) - Set off backpacking into mountains with Chris. Spend night in tent. Henry Gurr has one photograph from Pirsig of the scene here the following morning. [PhotoJ]
P226/259: Sixth day (Day 11) - Descent back into Bozeman. Spend night exhausted in downtown hotel.
P259: Seventh day (Day 12) - Say goodbye to the De Weeses and head north on the open road out of Bozeman.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Three Forks, Montana Day 12, Page 262
P262: Past some Lewis and Clark caves. (Several references to indicate we are on the Lewis and Clark trail across the great divide on their north west passage.)

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Time / Place / Narrative - Butte, Montana Day 12, Page 262
P262:

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Time / Place / Narrative - Anaconda, Montana Day 12, Page 262
P262: The old Anaconda copper smelter. Pull into Anaconda for steak and coffee.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Phillipsburg, Montana Day 12, Page 263
P263:

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Time / Place / Narrative - Hall, Montana Day 12, Page 263
P263: Rest in churchyard at Hall.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Missoula, Montana Day 12, Page 270
P270:

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Time / Place / Narrative - Lolo Pass, Idaho Night/Day 12/13, Page 270
P270/272: Head through Lolo (77 miles of winding roads to the next town). Camp on logging road in Lolo Pass. Henry Gurr has a single photograph from Pirsig of the morning scene here. [PhotoK]

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Time / Place / Narrative - Cabin near Kooskia, Idaho Day 13, Page 277
P277: Breakfast stop in roadside cabin restaurant in the Lochsa River canyon above Kooskia. Chris starts letter to Mom. Popular opinion is that this cabin was the Lochsa Lodge located at Powell ranger station just past the summit of Lolo Pass. [See RJ Bannis] [via Henry Gurr] [Burned down 2001] Highway 12 down the Lochsa River valley was known and the Lewis and Clarke Highway and was not formally adopted and paved until 1962.[Lewis and Clarke Discovery Tour 2003] [Lewis and Clark across the mountains]

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Time / Place / Narrative - Grangeville, Idaho Day 13, Page 287/288
P287/288: Turning south at Kooskia, takes them up onto a plateau and into Grangeville, after which the road descend thousands of feet via a hundred hairpins.

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Time / Place / Narrative - White Bird, Idaho Day 13, Page 289
P289/293: Rest stop by Salmon river.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Riggins, Idaho Day 13, Page 297
P297:

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Time / Place / Narrative - Cambridge, Idaho Day 13, Page 299
P299: Supper at the next good restaurant cheers Chris up.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Brownlee Campground, Idaho Night/Day 13/14, Page 299
P299: Follow dirt road to camper pull-ins. Outdoors in sleeping bags. Chris on picnic table.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Baker, Oregon Day 14, Page 304/307
P304/307:

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Time / Place / Narrative - Unity, Oregon Day 14, Page 310
P310: Filling station stop.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Prairie City, Oregon Day 14, Page 313
P313: Restaurant stop in Prairie City. Chris continues his letter to Mom

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Time / Place / Narrative - Dayville, Oregon Day 14, Page 318/319
P318/319: Another filling station stop and rest under large trees.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Mitchell, Oregon Day 14, Page 322
P322:

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Time / Place / Narrative - Prineville, Oregon Night/Day 14/15, Page 325/326
P325/326: South of Prineville, arrive at the intersection with  Highway 97 located at the then insignificant Redmond, OR. Sleep outdoors, somewhere along 97 just beyond Bend and not far from La Pine. Now arrived geographically at the west coast region. Henry Gurr has a single photograph from Pirsig of the morning scene here. [PhotoL]

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Time / Place / Narrative - La Pine, Oregon Day 15, Page 336
P336: Breakfast stop in La Pine.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Crater Lake, Oregon Day 15, Page 340/341
P340/341: Not a beer can to be seen at Crater Lake.

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Time / Place / Narrative - East shore of Klamath Lake, Oregon Day 15, Page 346
P346:

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Time / Place / Narrative - South shore of Klamath Lake Day 15, Page 349/351
P349/351: See giant redwoods, study the bark.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Medford, Oregon Day 15, Page 352
P352:

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Time / Place / Narrative - Grants Pass, Oregon Night/Day 15/16, Page 352/355
P352/355: Hotel with bouncy bed. Chris uses laundromat. Craftsman's Weld repair to chainguard.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Crescent City, California Day 16, Page 363
P363: Now physically arrived at the pacific coastline.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Pacific beach with rockpool, California Day 16, Page 366
P366: Grey and wet. Stop at beach and investigate rock pool. Chris cold and unhappy.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Arcata, California Day 16, Page 382
P382: Eat in small diner.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Motel off SF freeway, California Night/Day 16/17, Page 397/399
P397/399: Stop at filling station. Follow directions for motel. Chris homesick P399: Pause to observe green slug (!) on leaving motel.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Weott, California Day 17, Page 399
P399: Breakfast stop at Weott.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Leggett, California Day 17, Page 399
P399: Stop and feed ducks. Turn off down road to coast.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Caspar, California. Day 17, Page 401/407
P401/407: The California coast near the Mendocino Headlands, several miles south of Caspar. Climactic scenes with Chris on foggy cliff-top.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Mendocino coast road, California Day 17, Page 409/410
P409/410: Traveling at first through coastal Manzanitas south of Caspar, they travel inland along a twisting road towards Ukiah, overhung with trees and flowers and find picnic tables at the roadside. They pause for a nap, unburdened, now with post-climactic relief and subsequently continue on though Ukiah without helmets.

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Time / Place / Narrative - Ukiah to San Francisco Day 17, Page 411
P411 (Last Page): Running freely down the SF Freeway. Through Ukiah, Hopland, Cloverdale "into the wine country. The miles seem so easy now." Passing through Asti, Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Novato towards San Fancisco.

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Time / Place / Narrative - San Francisco, California Day 17, Page 411
P411: "Soon by the road are houses and boats and the water of the Bay" "We've won it. It's going to get better now. You can sort of tell these things."

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