After Anaconda, The Road Heads Back Up Into the Mountains.
…. Looking Southwest Over Silver Lake (6,434 ft) To Mountains Forming South Side Of Valley.

….“East of Butte, we go up a long grade that leads to a lake surrounded by pine forests and past some fishermen who push a small boat into the water.“(Cont.next)

On A Side Road, ~30 ft South Of Rt 1 Silver Lake, MT. The ZMM Narrative factually and exactly fits what the Pirsig Pilgrim will see here. For example in /\ Above /\ Photo.
…. From the camera location of /\ Above Photo, Silver Lake continues for ~a mile West, and may possibly have its waters raised by a Dam, at both its East & West ends: The Dam at the West end is seen in NEXT Photo.
….The valley here is level enough (as seen on TopoZone Map), so Cable Creek, coming down from the North, can form associated swamp, before turning East to flow into eastward flowing, Warm Springs Creeks, which further East. also comes down from the North. Then the combined waters flow ~40 miles toward Anaconda, MT & Butte, MT.

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AN INTERESTING ROADSIDE GEOLOGICAL & GEOGRAPHICAL PHENOMENON, WHICH HAPPENS HERE WITH THIS LAKE & WESTWARD SUBSEQUENT CANYON WITH WHITEWATER RAPIDS =>
…. HERE ARE SEEN => LONGITUDINAL RIVER VALLEY FLOOR TERRACES, WHERE THE STEP-DOWNS (“NICKPOINTS”) ARE AT THE EDGES OF STRONGER ROCK =>
….The /\ Above /\ Photo Introduces What You Will See Happens Repeatedly In Montana => When Road Traveling Along A River Heading Downstream. (Another example was previously discussed at Jefferson Island, MT.)
…. The river valley terrace traveled, is at first level and relatively wide, with the river a meandering still water. Ahead you can see the valley land is narrowing, then ends with the road disappearing into trees. As you enter the trees, you see the River is now descending, with white water rapids, and the road is likewise descending, on its own bulldozer cut, taken from the side-of a steep tree covered canyon. The road, typically cut into the steep sides of the canyon, winds down until it begins to level out.
…. At this point, you emerge from the trees, into another level and relatively wide valley, much like the previous, with the river a meandering still water river! You are now travelling practically level wide flat fertile valley land, which will repeat the narrowing tree covered narrow canyon, all over again.
The Geological Cause?
….It seems that the first encountered level, wide valley land (at its tree covered end) is held that way against the river erosion, by relatively harder more durable rock ridge (or rock layer), the drop-down edge of which is called a “Nickpoint”.
….This harder “Nickpoint” rock is preventing the land from eroding down to the same level as the lower, wide, flat valley terrace next below. Saying it differently, this strong “Nickpoint” rock has kept the upstream valley land level, and all its beautiful, fertile farming, just the way it is, for a very long geological time!
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(Photo = 109-0973 ...... ZMM Page = 236 ...... WayPt = 243w 6439ft)