We Go Around A Curve …… And There It Is!!

“ …. suddenly enter heavy fog. Then the temperature drops and I know we’re back at the ocean again. ” (Cont Next)

Rt-1 one half mile from the ocean, 1.5 miles North of Rockport, CA. The Narrator and Chris, have encountered thick fog, and thus could not see this view.
…Again, note all the dead and bent branches, close and far. More evidence of the fierce ocean winds.
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(Photo = 116-1682 ...... ZMM Page = 362 ...... WayPt = 455w 0070ft)

Looking South, We See Pacific Ocean, Beach, And Rocky Cliffs.

…Following The Highway At Left, The ZMM Route Will Follow The Ocean Side Cliffs

…And Cross Over The Peninsula At The Base Of The Distant Mountain Nearest The Ocean.

…“When the fog lifts we can see the ocean from a high cliff, far out and so blue and so distant. ” (Cont Next)

One mile North of Rockport, CA.
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(Photo = 116-1684 ...... ZMM Page = 362 ...... WayPt = 456w 0125ft)

View Of Rocks And Shore Birds From The Narrator’s High Rocky Cliff.

…“As we ride I become colder, deep cold. ” (Cont Next)

One mile North of Rockport, CA. The Narrator’s “deep cold“ is certainly due to the physical cold of the weather, but there is also (Metaphoric Bridge Connection) the “cold” from the extra strain of his developing emotional disintegration. He feels it deeply, and says it this way because he wants us, as readers, to also feel the depth of these emotions, with ever increasing tension.
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(Photo = 116-1685 ...... ZMM Page = 362 ...... WayPt = 456w 0125ft)

Looking North, We See Pacific Ocean, Beach, And Rocky Cliffs.

“We stop and I get out the jacket and put it on. I see Chris go very close to the edge of the cliff. ” (Cont Next)

One mile North of Rockport, CA.
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(Photo = 116-1687 ...... ZMM Page = 362 ...... WayPt = 456w 0125ft)

Looking Way, Way, Down, Down, Down, We See the Grey, Rock-Strewn Beach.

…Because it is So Very Far Down, the Surf Is Just a Tiny Fringe of White Upper Left! .

…Looking Nearer On the Steep Incline, You See Sage, Brown Grass, and My Shoe.

…“[I see Chris go very close to the edge of the cliff.] It’s at least one hundred feet to the rocks below. Way too close! .. "CHRIS!" I holler. He doesn’t answer. .. I go up, swiftly grab his shirt and pull him back. "Don’t do that," I say. .. He looks at me with a strange squint.“

One mile North of Rockport, CA.
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(Photo = 116-1688 ...... ZMM Page = 362 ...... WayPt = 456w 0125ft)

Windswept Shrubs, Trees, And Beautiful Vistas, But Chris And The Narrator Are Not Able To Enjoy It!

…[The Narrator and Chris have just arrived at the Pacific Ocean Coast, where the weather has suddenly turned very foggy and cold. It’s so cold, the Narrator has to put on a coat and he wants Chris to do likewise. The Narrator's one page discussion of their resulting contest of wills ends with:]
…“He looks down at the ground bitterly, and puts his warm clothes on. Then we’re back on the machine and moving down the coast again.
…I can imitate the father he’s supposed to have, but subconsciously, at the Quality level, he sees through it and knows his real father isn’t here. In all this Chautauqua talk there’s been more than a touch of hypocrisy. Advice is given again and again to eliminate subject-object duality, when the biggest duality of all, the duality between me and him, remains unfaced. A mind divided against itself. ” (Cont Next)

One mile North of Rockport, CA. In the ZMM passage above, the chilled, wet, foggy, cold of the weather, corresponds (Metaphoric Bridge Connection), to the continuing chilling of the relationship between the Narrator & Chris.
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(Photo = 116-1691 + 116-1692sc ...... ZMM Page = 363 ...... WayPt = 457w 0120ft)

I Stopped Here To Photograph The Scenery, And Discovered A Surveillance Camera (Under The Lights) Looking Back At Me! Why?

…Consider The Bent & Broken Winery Sign, Plus Red Warning Notes.

…We Pass Through Other People’s Lives …..

…“[A mind divided against itself.] But who did it? I didn’t do it. And there’s no way now of undoing it. . . . I keep wondering how far it is to the bottom of that ocean out there. . . . ” (Cont Next)

Two miles South of Westport, CA.
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(Photo = 116-1695 ...... ZMM Page = 363 ..... WayPt = 459w 0149ft)

The Wonders Of The Beautiful California Coast Continue!

…Looking Back North, We See The Sloping Cliffs And the Highway We Have Just Traveled.

…However Neither Chros Or The Narrator Can Enjoy any of This!



…[ “A mind divided against itself.] But who did it? I didn’t do it. And there’s no way now of undoing it. . . . I keep wondering how far it is to the bottom of that ocean out there. . . . ]

…“What I am is a heretic who’s recanted, and thereby in everyone’s eyes saved his soul. Everyone’s eyes but one, who knows deep down inside that all he has saved is his skin. .. I survive mainly by pleasing others. You do that to get out. To get out you figure out what they want you to say and then you say it with as much skill and originality as possible and then, if they’re convinced, you get out. If I hadn’t turned on him I’d still be there, but he was true to what he believed right to the end. That’s the difference between us, and Chris knows it. And that’s the reason why sometimes I feel he [Phaedrus] is the reality and I’m the ghost ” (Cont Next)

Just South of Westport, CA. In the above ZMM passage, the Narrator recounts and analyses how he came be to this impossible impasse with Chris.
…Here we need to remember what the Narrator said back in Montana, on their mountain climb, as he & Chris were about to start down AND the Narrator to justify his reasons for doing so =>
…“ I don’t suppose that sounds like the old days to Chris either. I spook very easily these days, and am not ashamed to admit it. He [Phaedrus] never spooked at anything. Never. That’s the difference between us. That’s why I’m alive and he’s not.

…Thus, there has been all along, very good reasons for the Narrator to avoid being the Father (ie Phaedrus) that Chris really wants, but has no way to say this.
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(Photo = 116-1694 ...... ZMM Page = 363 ... WayPt =459i Photo at 458w 0305ft)

It’s A Scenic Wonder-Filled Drive, But Only In Nice Weather!

“We’re on the Mendocino County coast now, and it’s all wild and beautiful and open here. The hills are mostly grass …. ” (Cont Next)

Just South of Westport, CA. Despite his emotional state, the Narrator can still gain support from the beauty around him. “Good old reality.“

. This Whole “Reality” Topic Is Important Enough To Have Its Own ZMMQ Page =>
… In the above “ italiced” words from ZMM, notice the Narrator’s emphasis on “ it’s all wild and beautiful and open here.” [in other words] “Reality”
…From this you should continue to see the importance of “Real, Reality, & Good Old Reality.”
… Click Here For A Special Study or => “Author Robert Pirsig’s Major Thread Topic “Quality, Reality, & “Good Old Reality.” “ as is written into Robert Pirsig’s book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”.
…AND after the above Blue Link comes up => To be really sure you get full message, please > (37 each) > Do > Page Top > Edit > Find > real And read the surrounding text.
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(Photo = 116-1693 ..... ZMM Page = 363 ... WayPt =459i2 Photo at 458w 0305ft)

More Wind Swept Shrubs And Beautiful Exotic Flowers!

… “[The hills are mostly grass] but in the lee of rocks and folds in the hills are strange flowing shrubs sculptured by the upsweep of winds from the ocean.” (Cont Next)

Two miles South of Westport, CA.

As Discussed In Previous Photo (And Important Blue Link) => Again “Good Old Reality.“

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(Photo = 116-1697 ...... ZMM Page = 363 ...... WayPt = 459k 0149ft)

Beautiful And Lonely.

…But A Hard Place To Eke Out An Existence!

“We pass some old wooden fences, weathered grey. In the distance is an old weathered and grey farmhouse. How could anyone farm here? The fence is broken in many places. Poor.“” (Cont Next)

Two miles South of Westport, CA.

Click Here For Mark Richardson’s Photo Of “An Old Abandoned Farm House”, In This Same Area Of California Coast.

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(Photo = 116-1696 ...... ZMM Page = 363 ... WayPt = 459m 0149ft)

A Wonderful Cool Shady Tunnel Of Trees Leads Rt-1 Coast Highway Down To The Beach.

…“Where the road drops down from the high cliffs to the beach …. ” (Cont Next)

Approaching Beach access, one half mile South of Westport, CA. The Narrator’s above words “drops down from the high cliffs “ nicely fits my /\ Above /\ Photo, and the physical location where I took this photo.
…But these Narrator words might also refer to places where there is a steep incline to the ocean edge caused by erosion. For example, the place the Narrator pulled Chris back from the edge. Please remember this Narrator’s meaning. It will be needed ahead.
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(Photo = 116-1698 ...... ZMM Page = 364 ...... WayPt = 460w 0060ft)

A View From The Roadside Parking Pull-Off.
“ [ Where the road drops down from the high cliffs] to the beach we stop to rest. When I turn the engine off Chris says, "What are we stopping here for?" .. "I’m tired." .. "Well, I’m not. Let’s keep going." He’s angry still. I’m angry too.” (Cont Next)

Beach access, one half mile South of Westport, CA.
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(Photo = 116-1699 ..... ZMM Page = 364 .... WayPt = 461w 0040ft)

This Wide, Smooth, Sandy Beach Gives Plenty Of Room For Running And Games.

…Notice Red Ball Photographed High & Exactly Halfway Between The Two Men.

…“ "Just go over on the beach there and run around in circles until I’m done resting," I say. .. “(Cont.Next)

Beach just west oceanside of parking access point, one half mile South of Westport, CA.
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(Photo = 117-1701 ...... ZMM Page = 364 ...... WayPt = 461w 0040ft)

Ocean Smells Of Rotting Beach Detritus.

“ "Let’s keep going," he says, but I walk away and ignore it. He sits on the curb by the motorcycle. .. The ocean smell of rotting organic matter is heavy here and the cold wind doesn’t allow much rest.“ ” (Cont Next)

Beach access, one half mile South of Westport, CA.
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(Photo = 116-1699cz1.8 .... ZMM Page = 364 ...... WayPt = 461w 0040ft)

This House Sized Rock Would Indeed Have Heat From the Sun and Provide Shelter From The Wind.

“But I find a large cluster of grey rocks where the wind is still and the heat of the sun can still be felt and enjoyed. I concentrate on the warmth of the sunlight and am grateful for what little there is.“

Beach access, ~7 miles South of Westport, CA. At most places along this ocean coast, the rocks I found were brown, and nothing close to what I would call a cluster.
…Also, I don’t recall finding “grey rocks“ at any beach which had easy roadside access.
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(Photo = 116-1699cz1.2 rock ...... ZMM Page = 364 ...... WayPt = 461w 0040ft)

There Are Flowers At Every Turn of the Road.

…“We ride again and what comes to me now is the realization that he's [Chris is] another Phædrus, thinking the way he used to and acting the same way he used to, looking for trouble, being driven by forces he’s only dimly aware of and doesn’t understand. The questions . . the same questions . . he’s got to know everything.
…And if he doesn’t get the answer he just drives and drives until he gets one and that leads to another question and he drives and drives for the answer to that—endlessly pursuing questions, never seeing, never understanding that the questions will never end. Something is missing and he knows it and will kill himself trying to find it. ” (Cont Next)

Narrator’s passage somewhere near Cleone, CA.
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(Photo = 116-1675 ...... ZMM Page = 364 ...... WayPt = 461i 0040ft. Photo at 452w 0897ft)

Does Anyone Know The Location Of The Narrator’s “Sharp Turn Up An Overhanging Cliff”?

…Or Have Highway Improvements Eliminated Such Hazards?

… We round a sharp turn up an overhanging cliff.“ ” (Cont Next)

Just South of Westport, CA. Does anyone know probable locations of the above passage? Originally, I assumed the Narrator meant the road turns sharply onto the top of a high “wall of rocks” that has a practically vertical drop.
…However In the kind of soil that generally forms these hills, a maximum of 45 degree inclines (hill slopes) are generally found.
…Steeper slopes, deserving the name “cliff”, would be found only where there is a ~70 degree incline, which usually & only caused by active ocean edge erosion, undercutting the sloping cliff at the bottom.
…From these considerations, the Narrator’s “cliff“ could be in the center of the /\ Above /\ Photo, just after the first break where the highway cannot be seen.
…This is where the highway, at its lowest elevation, and again curves out toward the ocean. It then proceeds up and along the top edge where the earth is sliding in a smooth, but steep ~70 degree incline, relatively free of vegetation, to the beach.
…In fact, all of the steep slopes, (from the place I was standing, all the way to the place where the
road turns left and goes steadily upward and out of view), could qualify as the Narrator’s “cliff.

…“NOTE: Concerning the very short segment of road seen at the far horizon: This road segment, goes over a relatively large, easily identifiable peninsula. On a map you will see that => Four miles beyond that peninsula, this road, after two towns, descends to the ocean edge at the town of Caspar and a small cove.
…As you will see, the town of Caspar and Caspar Bay & Anchorage, are quite important to Chris & the Narrator!
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(Photo = 116-1693cz1.3...... ZMM Page = 364 ...... WayPt = 461i ~300ft. Photo at 458w 0305ft)