Reality Is, In Part, a Set of Ideas That Are “Dynamic” , And Are Expected To Grow In Our Response To “The Cutting Edge Reality” , Century After Century.

….“…. and sees that a new and different rational understanding has more Quality. One doesn’t cling to old sticky ideas because one has an immediate rational basis for rejecting them. Reality isn’t static anymore. It’s not a set of ideas you have to either fight or resign yourself to. It’s made up, in part, of ideas that are expected to grow as you grow, and as we all grow, century after century. With Quality as a central undefined term, reality is, in its essential nature, not static but dynamic. And when you really understand dynamic reality you never get stuck. It has forms but the forms are capable of change.” (Cont. Next)

Whitewater Lochsa River Canyon, ID.
….Notice again the Narrator’s three uses of “reality”, and how “second by second”, “minute by minute” & “century after century” our “reality” grows, in response to the action of Quality!

NOTE: Here, and on the previous 4 photographs, the ZMM Narrator keeps expanding on his “Reality” Topic; These ideas will be eventually added to ZMMQ Page => Click Here For => .“Author Robert Pirsig’s Major Thread Topic => “Quality, Reality, & “Good Old Reality”
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(Photo = 110-1076cz.5 ...... ZMM Page = 255 ...... WayPt = 270w 2323ftft)

View of Canyon, Eagles Nest, and River at Lower Elevations.
….In Order For The Eagle To Build A Nest, It Must “Connect With Reality”, In Response To The Action Of Quality!

….“To put it in more concrete terms: If you want to build a factory, or fix a motorcycle, or set a nation right without getting stuck, then classical, structured, dualistic subject-object knowledge, although necessary, isn’t enough. You have to have some feeling for the quality of the work. You have to have a sense of what’s good. THAT is what carries you forward. This sense isn’t just something you’re born with, although you are born with it. It’s also something you can develop. It’s not just "intuition," not just unexplainable "skill" or "talent."
….It’s the direct result of contact with basic REALITY, Quality, which dualistic reason has in the past tended to conceal.” (Cont. Next)
…. NOTE: The next up BOLDED by ZMMQuality Editors for special emphasis.

Lochsa River Canyon at bridge to cross over Lochsa River to Lowell, ID.

….Notice again the Narrator’s use of “reality”, and how we can & should “connect with reality” . Of course, although not above stated, this “connect with” is in response to the action of “Quality” ! “

….In the /\ Above /\ Photo, the nest may be that of an Eagle or an Osprey. Does anyone know?. Please send email to HenryG__USCA.edu
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(Photo = 110-1087c ...... ZMM Page = 255 ...... WayPt = 272w 1288ft)

A Down To Earth View of Reality.

….“It all sounds so far out and esoteric when it’s put like that it comes as a shock to discover that it is one of the most homespun, down-to-earth views of reality you can have. Harry Truman, of all people, comes to mind, when he said, concerning his administration’s programs, "We’ll just try them . .
.. . and if they don’t work . . . why then we’ll just try something else." That may not be an exact quote, but it’s close. .
. The reality of the American government isn’t static, he said, it’s DYNAMIC. If we don’t like it we’ll get something better. The American government isn’t going to get stuck on any set of fancy doctrinaire ideas.
….The key word is "BETTER" = “QUALITY” ” (Cont. Next)
…. NOTE: The 2 next up BOLDED by ZMMQuality Editors for special emphasis.



Lochsa River Canyon 1/3 Mile SW of bridge crossing over Lochsa River to Lowell, ID. ************************

(Photo = 110-1086c ...... ZMM Page = 255 ...... WayPt = 273w ~1530ft)

Institute Men Are Trained To Handle Everything Except a New Situation.

….“But now consider the fact that no matter how hard you try to hang on to it, this stuckness is bound to disappear. Your mind will naturally and freely move toward a solution. Unless you are a real master at staying stuck you can’t prevent this. The fear of stuckness is needless because the longer you stay stuck the more you see the Quality “[That equals ].“ REALITY that gets you unstuck every time. What’s REALLY been getting you stuck is the running from the stuckness through the cars of your train of knowledge looking for a solution that is [ ONLY ] .“ out in front of the train.
.. Stuckness shouldn’t be avoided. It’s the psychic predecessor of all real understanding. An egoless acceptance of stuckness is a key to an understanding of all Quality, in mechanical work as in other endeavors. It’s this understanding of Quality as revealed by stuckness which so often makes self-taught mechanics so superior to institute-trained men who have learned how to handle everything except a new situation.” (Cont. Next)
…. NOTE: The next up 3 BOLDED by ZMMQuality Editors for special emphasis.

…(The Narrator then finishes, in one page, his Chautauqua with many suggested Quality responses to “a stuck screw” .)

Lochsa River Canyon 1/3 Mile SW of bridge crossing over Lochsa River to Lowell, ID.
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(Photo = 110-1084c.5 ...... ZMM Page = 257 ...... WayPt = 273w 1530ft)

Ever Since Lolo, MT, the Main Road Has Been US-12, Which We Now Leave,
…And On Rt-13, Turn From the Lochsa River, and Follow a River Side-Branch Upstream.

….“Highway 13 follows another branch of our river but now it goes upstream past old sawmill towns and sleepy scenery. Sometimes when you switch from a federal to a state highway it seems like you drop back like this in time. Pretty mountains, pretty river, bumpy but pleasant tar road . . . ” (Cont. Next)

South Fork Clearwater River, just under 5 miles South of Kooskia, ID. (GPS = 46.07629 -115.97532 )
….Click Here For Satellite View Of Above Photo, At WayPt = 274w
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(Photo = 110-1090c ...... ZMM Page = 258 ...... WayPt = 274w 1388ft)

Clearwater Battlefield Site with the Clearwater River in the Background. (See Below For Why No ZMM Town Photo For This Location.)

….“old buildings, old people on a front porch . . . strange how old, obsolete buildings and plants and mills, the technology of fifty and a hundred years ago, always seem to look so much better than the new stuff. Weeds and grass and wildflowers grow where the concrete has cracked and broken. Neat, squared, upright lines acquire a random sag. The uniform masses of the unbroken color of fresh paint modify to a mottled, weathered softness. Nature has a non-Euclidean geometry of her own that seems to soften the deliberate objectivity of these buildings with a kind of random spontaneity that architects would do well to study.” (Cont. Next)

South Fork Clearwater River, just under 5 miles South of Kooskia, ID. Having been there, I can confirm that the town of Kooskia exactly fits the Narrator’s description. Actually I remember, while parked on the main street, I read and reread this passage, pondering which buildings to photograph.
…At that time, I was afraid that that any picture I would take would be too depressing and uncomplimentary, so no photos were taken. There were other reasons, such as forgetting to think again, shouldn’t I just take some photos, just in case. ….
….But, you can see views along the highway through this area, by going to Blue Link of Previous Photo, and click on Left Side Panel, which Upper Left click on, will give you Google Street View. You can then “GSV Drive” North to views along the highway through the Town of Kooskia, ID.
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(Photo = 110-1088c ...... ZMM Page = 258 ...... WayPt = 274w 1388ft)

According to A TopoZone Map, This Dark Outcrop Is Called “Dirty Head”.
….It Is Probably Volcanic Rock and Likely Part of An Ancient Volcanic Flow Called the Columbia River Basalt Group.
….We Are Entering What Is Known as The Columbia River Plateau: This Is A Massive Volcanic Flow Area, Covering Half of Oregon & Washington. It Is One Of Earth’s Greatest Flows, Having An Average Depth Of Several Miles!

….“Soon we leave the river and the old sleepy buildings …. ” (Cont. Next)

South Fork Clearwater River, just under 5 miles South Kooskia, ID. The volcanic rock seen in the /\ Above /\ Photo, is probably related to additional volcanic formations you will see in my upcoming photos at the top of White Bird Hill and the Salmon River Gorge some 50 miles SSW of here.

Continued From Previous Concerning NO Photos Of Kooskia, ID. .
… Also. I was aware that the Narrator didn’t actually mention this town by name, perhaps for these same depressing and uncomplimentary reasons.
…Or perhaps the name Kooskia had the wrong poetic “ring”? … So, from all this, I finally decided to stick to my policy NOT to photograph towns NOT mentioned in ZMM. Besides, in addition to this policy, I had already many, many, times, chided myself for taking way too many photos! So my camera remained closed .
…. Now I am not so sure I made the right decision not to photograph Kooskia. In fact, as I prepare these pictures for ZMMQG, I discover that I took way too few photos!
….What’s the moral?
….As soon as your “Track of Quality” hand reaches for the camera, take gobs of photos. Don’t hesitate!! The sky is the limit!! And still you will not have enough photos, when you get home, and start to post photo views of your trip!!
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(Photo = 110-1091c ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 274w 1388ft)

As I Followed the Bumpy, Irregular Paved Road Up This Grassy Mountain Side,
….I Suddenly Noticed This Fleeting Deer. With Some Driving Maneuvers, I Was Finally Able To Catch a Picture.

… [ “Soon we leave the river and the old sleepy buildings “ ] “and now climb to some sort of a dry, meadowy plateau.” (Cont. Next)

Half way up the climb to the plateau of Grangeville, ID. Note deer upper left. After I spotted this doe, I followed her as she moved amongst the trees. She moved parallel to the highway, so I kept pace in my car, until I was finally able to get a photo, but only through the car window.
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(Photo = 110-1092c ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 274i ~1580ft)

In a Picture Perfect Grassy Plateau, Our View Is Marred With a Double Dose of Electric Power Poles!

….[ “Near the top …. of a dry, meadowy plateau. “] “The road rolls and bumps and rocks so much I have to keep the speed down to fifty. There are some bad chuckholes in the asphalt and I watch carefully for more. .. We’re really accustomed to making mileage. Stretches that would have seemed long back in the Dakotas now seem short and easy. Being on the machine seems more natural than being off it. We’re nowhere that I’m familiar with, in country that I’ve never seen before, yet I don’t feel a stranger in it.” (Cont. Next)

Three miles East of Grangeville, ID. This high plateau probably owes its existence to a “cap” of tough volcanic rock (ancient lava) that has relatively greater resistance to being worn down by some sixteen million years of weathering.

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(Photo = 110-1101c ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 277x 3446ft)

On the Top of The Plateau …. There’s The Next Town …. Just As Stated By The ZMM Narrator.

…. “ At the top of the plateau at Grangeville, Idaho, …. ” (Cont. Next)

Grangeville, ID.
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(Photo = 110-1112c ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 279w 3474ft)

This Is the Only Late1950’s Era Restaurant I Could Find.

….“ … we step from the blasting heat into an air-conditioned restaurant.” (Cont. Next)

Grangeville, ID.
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(Photo = 110-1117c ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 280w 3431ft)

Looking Through Glass Front Door, Look Closely To See =>
…Where Is The ZMM Narrator’s “Deep Cool Inside. ”
….Here, “We Pass Unnoticed Through Other Peoples’ Lives. ”

…. “Deep cool inside. While we wait for chocolate malteds I notice a high-schooler sitting at the counter exchanging looks with the girl next to him. She’s gorgeous, and I’m not the only other one who notices it. The girl behind the counter waiting on them is also watching with an anger she thinks no one else sees. Some kind of triangle. We keep passing unseen through little moments of other people’s lives.” (Cont. Next)

Grangeville, ID. Robert Pirsig came this way, in the summer of 1968. Does anyone have a guess who the three “high-schoolers“ might have been?
….It must have been Sunday when I was there, because I found the streets deserted, and nearly everything closed, including this restaurant, despite the mid afternoon hour.

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(Photo = 110-1116c ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 280w 3431ft)

The Narrator Provides Additional Descriptions of the High Idaho Plateau They Had Traveled Over, Saying =>
….It Looks Almost Like The Prairies Of The Dakotas.

….“Back in the heat again and not far from Grangeville we see that the dry plateau that looked almost like prairie when we were out on it …. ” (Cont. Next)

Southwest of Grangeville, ID. Just west of town, Rt-13 ends and the ZMM Route turns South onto US-95, a major through-highway for all of Western Idaho. It travels, always South (or North), originating way North of Radium Springs in Canada, continuing to I-80N West of Boise, ID, with continuation generally South, practically all the way to Blythe CA, at the Colorado River, near the Mexican border!!
….As you will see, the ZMM Route follows US-95 South for ~90 miles, traveling deep into the Salmon river Canyon, through New Meadows, ID, to Cambridge, ID, where it will turn West onto Rt-71 into Oregon.

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(Photo = 110-1103c ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 280i. Photo at WayPt = 277x 3446ft)

At The Top Of A Dramatic Hill, 5.5 miles before White Bird, ID.
Looking Back Toward Grangeville, We See The Cut To Lower the Road:
…Here The ZMM Narrator Says => “ … The Dry Plateau …. Suddenly Breaks … ” '' …

This /\ Above /\ Photo location is nine miles SW of Grangeville, ID. Due to very low humidity, and relatively high altitude => In the /\ above /\ photo, the sky is very clear and the sun is intensely hot & bright. And the sky at top left is somewhat “blue black“
… As was mentioned by the Narrator at Beartooth Pass, Idaho is also a good place to see his “dark sky & black shadows“. For example => Look how black and sharp edged are the shadows of the big rocks.
…. These rocks, although discolored, are likely of volcanic origin. My upcoming photos, will all show geologic evidence of an ancient and huge volcanic lava flow. To see these ancient volcanic formations, start here to study the exposed rocks in the next photos, especially photos 110-1131 thru 110-1147.
….The rocks you will see are parts of a huge and very ancient lava flows that are rightly famous for their fantastic size. These lava flows started some 17 million years ago, and for the next 10 million years, successively built up successive layers, several miles deep, over a large part of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. These lava flows are known by various names such as: Columbia River Basalt Group, Columbia River Flood Basalts, Columbia Basalts, Columbia Plateau, Great Miocene Lava Flow, Miocene Basalt, Miocene Lava, The Great Miocene Lava Lake, or “Lake Idaho”.
….A 1973 U.S.G.S. report stated: “The geology of the Columbia River Basin (which we have just entered) is a legacy of Miocene lava flows, volcanoes, glacial topography, and colossal [ice dam] floods”.
….For more information, search the web or consult the popular books called “Roadside Geology of Idaho”, “Roadside Geology of Washington”, & “Roadside Geology of Oregon”.
….I believe that the Kooskia, ID “ …. climb to some sort of a dry, meadowy plateau ” is a climb up onto a volcanic “cap”. And indeed, this is where The ZMM Route, entered one of the Eastern lobes of this gigantic lava formation. If you have additional information, please contact me.

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(Photo = 110-1120 + 110-1121sc ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 281x 4164ft)

On Idaho’s major North-South Highway, At the Top of White Bird Hill, Looking Down, Down, Down, and South, Towards the Land East of the Salmon River Canyon.

…. [the land suddenly breaks] “ away into an enormous canyon.” (Cont. Next)

At top of Dramatic Hill, 5 miles before White Bird, ID. Nine miles SW of Grangeville, ID. On my 2002 trip here, I was unable to find the ZMM Narrator’s dramatic, old, gravel road with all the ~40 hairpin curves that the Narrator and Chris followed. .

… Along US-o5, Just out of Grangeville ID, A Google Satellite Map shows, will show where to 45 deg turn Southeast, onto this old road, which leaves US-95, going SE, and connects to OLD US-95: This is the dirt & gravel road which Robert Pirsig took in 1968, down-“White Bird Grade”, to along Wite Bird Creek, and through the town of White Bird ID.. >Click Here, And AFTER This Satellite View Comes Up, The Red Pinpoint Marks the Turn-Off To Lower Portion OF the Gravel Road & 40 Hairpin Curves.
…You will see that Grangeville, ID is 9 miles Northeast.

… Alternatively, you may try And AFTER this very useful, many, many, very useful, featured, Internet Map comes up, you should C& P into the Box Top Center these GPS Coordinates => 45.829013, -116.246531 Zoom in till you see that here is a dirt road leaves US-95, going SE, and is OLD US-95: This is the dirt road which Robert Pirsig took in 1968, down-“White Bird Grade”, to town of White Bird ID.

For a Side Project: Click Here, To Learn How To Use Some Of The Many Features of Caltopo Maps. AFTER Page Comes Up, Scroll Down To => CalTopo Is Excellent For

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(Photo = 110-1123+110-1124sc2 ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 281x 4164ft)

The Brown Dirt Cut In The Distant Hill, Is An Example of One of Many Gravel Road Hairpin Turns Traveled In 1968 By ZMM Author Robert Pirsig and His Son Chris. .

….[into an enormous canyon.] “ … I see our road will go down and down through what must be a hundred hairpin turns …. ” (Cont. Next)

Top Of Dramatic Hill, 5 miles before White Bird, ID. Nine miles SW of Grangeville, ID.
….As you will see, the highway has clearly been modernized since the Narrator was here in 1968. From the (newer) roadside pull-off at the top of the down grade, we can see in the /\ Above Photo, a segment of the Narrator’s road with one of the first of their hairpin curves.
….Observe the ABSENCE of a Guard Rail on this rough & tough gravel road back in 1968.
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(Photo = 110-1122 + 110-1123sc2 ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 281x 4164ft)

At Top Of Dramatic White Bird Hill.
…The Narrator Indeed Describes the Landscape Accurately!

…[.“…. a hundred hairpin turns ”].“ into a desert of broken land and crags.” (Cont. Next)

Starting down, down => The 5 miles to White Bird, ID. Nine miles SW of Grangeville, ID. Just right of center, you can see the roadcut for the Newer Highway.


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(Photo = 111-1124 +1sc ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 281x 4164ft)

Wow! Wow! Wow!!!
…..“ Into A Desert Of Broken Land And Crags.”

….“I tap Chris’s knee and point and as we round a turn where we see it all I hear him holler, "Wow!"” (Cont. Next)

Top Of Dramatic Hill, 5 miles before White Bird Hill, ID. Nine miles SW of Grangeville, ID. At right edge, you can see the roadcut for the Newer Highway.

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(Photo = 111-1124 +1sc3 ...... ZMM Page = 259 ...... WayPt = 281x 4164ft