The Next Road Summit. And Looking West, A View Into The Valley and Mountains Beyond.

…“After a few minutes the road reaches a summit …. “ (Cont. Next)

Twenty four miles West of Upper Klamath Lake, OR. *************************

(Photo = 114-1473 ...... ZMM Page = 317 ..... WayPt = 389w ~5160ft)

Now At a Lower Elevation, We Are Moving Towards the Narrator’s “Exquisite ” Coastal California Valleys.

…. “and then drops steeply into a valley that becomes more exquisite as we descend. I never thought I would call a valley that—exquisite—but there’s something about this whole coastal country so different from any other mountainous region in America that it brings out the word. Here, a little farther south, is where all our good wine comes from. The hills are somehow tucked and folded differently—exquisitely. ” (Cont. Next)

Twenty eight miles West of Upper Klamath Lake, OR.
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As We Leave the Douglas Firs and Cool Oregon Mountains, The Beauty Of the Countryside Gives the Narrator a Tremendous Boost.

…“The road twists and banks and curlecues and descends and we and the cycle smoothly roll with it, following it in a separate grace of our own, almost touching the waxen leaves of shrubs and overhanging boughs of trees. The firs and rocks of the higher country are behind us now and around us are soft hills and vines and purple and red flowers, fragrance mixed with woodsmoke up from the distant fog along the valley floor and from beyond that, unseen—a vague scent of ocean. . . How can I love all this so much and be insane? . . . I don’t believe it! ” (Cont. Next)

Six miles East of White City, OR. White City is now a Northern suburb of Medford, OR.
…Here again we see the Narrator’s need for support from “Good old reality.“ We deduce that the Narrator’s full participation in the beautiful coastal country ahead comes from the positive effects of his remembering Phaedrus’s Quality discoveries. From this, he is certain he is not insane.
… Rather the insanity comes from our being immersed in the Mythos of our present-day Western Culture, as is presently practiced.
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In Front of The University of Chicago’s Cobb Lecture Hall Looking East, We See A Tree Lined Walk In The Center Of Their Main Quad.

…[The Narrator’s thoughts switch back to Chicago, and what Phaedrus believed:]
…“The mythos. The mythos is insane. That’s what he believed. The mythos that says the forms of this world are real but the Quality of this world is unreal, that is insane! .. And in Aristotle and the ancient Greeks he believed he had found the villains who had so shaped the mythos as to cause us to accept this insanity as reality. .. That. That now. That ties it all together. It feels relieving when that happens.” (Cont. Next)

University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. I agree with the Narrator: We who live in the 20th century and consider ourselves “normal” are the ones who are afflicted with a dominant mythos that is indeed insane.
…For example => Consider that our country has in excess of 10,000 hydrogen bombs, each on rockets targeted (with 40 min arrival) towards the opposite side of the globe. And yet only a few people in our country seem to question it!
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Sunset And Low Elevation. A View Looking Back East To Where We Were, In the West Oregon Mountains.

…[“The mythos. The mythos is insane. That’s what he believed. The mythos that says the forms of this world are real but the Quality of this world is unreal, that is insane! .. And in Aristotle and the ancient Greeks he believed he had found the villains who had so shaped the mythos as to cause us to accept this insanity as reality. .. That. That now. That ties it all together. It feels relieving when that happens.” ]
… “It’s so hard sometimes to conjure all this up, a strange sort of exhaustion follows. Sometimes I think I’m just making it up myself. Sometimes I’m not sure. And sometimes I know I’m not. But the mythos and insanity, and the centrality of this—this I’m sure is from him. ” (Cont. Next)

Six miles North of Medford, OR.

. 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 “ Reality,” Here, to be really sure you get full message, please > ( 3 each) > Do > Page Top > Edit > Find > real And read the surrounding text.
…From this you should 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”.
*************************

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The Narrator’s Freeway At Dusk.

…“When we’re through the folded hills we come to Medford and a freeway leading to Grants Pass and it’s almost evening. A heavy head wind keeps us just up with traffic on upgrades, even with the throttle wide open.” (Cont. Next)

Ten mi North West of Medford, OR. Why did the Narrator experience a strong wind from the West, whereas I, at dusk, found no wind at all?
…The Narrator came through here during mid-afternoon in hot, sunny conditions. And here, typical of all daytime coastal regions (or lake edges), there will be winds from over cold water toward the sun-heated inland areas. These “thermal winds” are caused by the land-heated air rising and being replaced by cooler air from over the water. These “thermals” would have created a direct headwind for the Narrator and Chris who were traveling West up this long, steep grade.
…I have experienced these same winds in several mountain areas inland from the California Coast. This is especially true where electrical power generation wind mills called turbines have been recently built. These are in the Mountain Road Pass Northeast of the San Francisco Bay, called Altamont Pass. Click Here.
…In any of these places, when the sun goes down, the fierce winds stop. The coast-mountain-desert-sun relationships here at Medford are similar. So, it is not too surprising that when I came along this Freeway, an hour after sundown, there was no wind while I took this photo.
…But the noise and speed and congestion of the traffic was insane!! There was no time I could snap a photo without speeding cars in it! ********************
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I Discover My First Vineyard, On the Way From Medford To Grants Pass.

…This Must Be the Start of the Narrator’s Wine Country.

…“Coming into Grants Pass we hear a frightening, loud, clanking noise and stop to discover that the chain guard has become caught in the chain somehow and now is all torn up. Not too serious, but enough to lay us up for a while to get it replaced. Foolish to replace it, perhaps, when the cycle will be sold in a few days. .. Grants Pass looks like a big enough town to have a motorcycle place open the next morning …. ” (Cont. Next)

Two miles West of Gold Hill, OR. The “loud, clanking noise“ and the “chain guard …. all torn up“ are to increase reader tension. This is our warning of events to come! ********************
(Photo = 114-1487cb ..... ZMM Page = 318 ...... WayPt = 394w 1073ft)

A 1930’s Cabin Style Motel.

…“ …. and when we arrive I look for a motel. .. We haven’t seen a bed since Bozeman, Montana. .. We find one with color TV, heated swimming pool, a coffee maker for the next morning, soap, white towels, a shower all tiled and clean beds. .. We lie down on the clean beds and Chris just bounces on his for a while. Bouncing on beds, I remember from childhood, is a great depression reliever. .. Tomorrow, somehow, all this can be worked out, maybe. Not now. Chris goes down for a heated swim while I lie quietly on the clean bed and put everything out of mind.” (End Chapter 28.)

North 6th Street, Business District, Grants Pass, OR. My photos here show sunlight out of sync with the ZMM Narrative.
…I camped overnight East of Grants Pass (near Gold Hill, OR). Therefore, starting with /\ Above /\ Photos, my photos show the next morning.
…This is contrary the ZMM Travel Narrative, where the Narrator arrives in Grants Pass in late afternoon, in time for Chris’s bed bouncing and swim.
…Since there are many motels in town and the Narrator gives no unique clues, I show photos of several of the 1968 era motels that I encountered within several miles of the Grants Pass central business district.
********************
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Yet Another 1930’s Cabin Style Motel.

… (Opening of Chapter 29.) “ In the process of taking stuff out of the saddlebags and cramming it back ever since Bozeman, and doing the same with the backpacks, we’ve acquired some exceptionally beat-up gear. … What a mess. In my shirt-pocket notebook I write down: "Buy tackle box for squeezed stuff" and then add "Do laundry." Then, "Buy toenail scissors, sunburn cream, ignition grease, chain guard, toilet paper." This is a lot of things to do before checkout time, so I wake up Chris and tell him to get up. We have to do the laundry.” (Cont. Next)

North 6th Street, Business District, Grants Pass, OR.

Landscape Terrain Conclusion Re the Town Name: “Grants Pass”. ..
….The fact that “Pass” was included in the Town Name, likely refers to the fact that the Rogue River affords easier East–West passage through these rather rugged mountains. And both the Interstate I-5 and The Rogue River Highway (Oregon Rt-99) being “jammed tight” into the canyon of this river, together attest that this is indeed is “A Pass”.

… This Satellite View Shows BOTH The Interstate I-5 and the major Rogue River Highway (Oregon Rt 99), Twisting WITH The Rogue River, “Through The Pass”!! … You can see the names of Grants Pass, OR at left & Medford, OR lower Right. .

More Information About The Town & Area Of Grants Pass, OR.
….The Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon begins at Boundary Springs on the border between Klamath and Douglas counties near the northern edge of Crater Lake National Park. The Rogue River flows generally west for 215 miles (346 km) from the Cascade Range, through the “Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest”, and [then through] the Klamath Mountains to the Pacific Ocean at Gold Beach. Excerpt From Wikipedia. More Information Click Here.

Historical Information About The Town & Area Of Grants Pass, OR.
…In the late 1840s, settlers (mostly American) following the Applegate Trail began traveling through the area on their way to the Willamette Valley. The city [in their literature] states, that the name was selected to honor General Ulysses S. Grant's success at Vicksburg.
…The Willamette Valley is a rich farming area that is reached by traveling from Grants Pass. OR, 140 miles North to Eugene, OR, where the Valley continues all the way to Portland. OR.
…Excerpt From Wikipedia. More Information Click Here.
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A General View Of A Grants Pass, OR Shopping Area. A Typical Location For A Laundromat.

…“At the Laundromat I instruct Chris on how to operate the drier, start the washing machines and take off for the other items. .. I get everything but a chain guard. The parts man says they don’t have one and don’t expect to get one. I think about riding without the chain guard for what little time is left but that will throw crud all over and could be dangerous. Also, I don’t want to do things with that presumption. That commits me to it.” (Cont. Next)

South Business District, Grants Pass, OR. I did not notice a motorcycle repair “ parts man” place anywhere in or near this town…. The Grants Pass Directory for 1968 shows Polluck’s Marina & Cycle Shop at 70 Highway 199. I believe this address is now given as 70 Old Highway 99, which Mapquest shows as one mile North of the Rogue River on present day NE 7th Street. As stated in the next photo’s caption, the Narrator’s “down”, is down from the Polluck’s, to the welder’s shop.
… I am sorry to only offer here a “generic” photo for this ZMM passage.
…Since this is a fairly large town, with plenty of evident change since 1968, I did not attempt to locate the ZMM Laundromat. Instead, I concentrated on finding all I could about possible 1968 welders and possible 1968 welding shops.

DATE-LINE: January 25, 2021. by Henry Gurr.
….. New Information Found By Mr Blue Nelson (of Gold Hill, OR) And Mr Bill Quaccia (Town of Rogue River, OR):
Back in Feb 24, 2019 Mr Blue Nelson sent the following email to me, Henry Gurr.

HI Henry,
…I think that the "down the street" welder might have been here outside Rogue River where this motorcycle repair shop and welder remained for years.
…[This is where] I rescued a Fintail Mercedes recently from behind the shop and the son of the owner remembers his dad doing repairs to Robert's bike.
…Have you heard this before?
……..
…I emailed reply, saying this is entirely new information, and given the unique and excellent welder abilities of Mr Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor, he most certainly is the ZMM Welder at Grants Pass, OR.
The Eleventh through Thirteenth Photo NEXT, Fully Explains Why.
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(Photo = 114-1500c ...... ZMM Page = 319 ..... WayPt = 403w 0985ft)

These Trees At The Back Of The Property Are All That Remain of Mr. Roy S. Fixsen’s Welding Shop. “Progress” Has Eliminated Both the Shop & All the Big Trees Mentioned by the Narrator.

…This Is The Location Of The ~1968 Roy S. Fissen Welding Shop, North Of The Rogue River.

…“ Down the street I find a welder’s sign and enter. .. Cleanest welding place I’ve ever seen. Great high trees and deep grass line an open space in back, giving a kind of village-smithy appearance. All the tools are hung up with care, everything tidy, but no one is home. I’ll come back later. .. I wheel back and stop for Chris, check the laundry he’s put in the drier …. ” (Cont. Next)

Back of property, 954 Sixth Street SW, Business District, Grants Pass, OR. We may assume that “Down the street” meant just downhill from the motorcycle repair “ parts man” place, which perhaps would be ~two blocks North of the Rogue River, perhaps on present day NE 6h Street.
…Local people seem to agree that the Welding Shop of Mr. Roy S. Fixsen’s shop is the best candidate for the Narrator’s ”ultra clean” description.
…Mr. Fixsen’s shop was literally downhill from the rest of the town, nearer to the Rogue River, at 954 (South?) Sixth Street SW.
…Contrary to most of the towns on the ZMM Route, Grants Pass has had sufficient “Progress” to seemingly erase all evidence of any “Down the street“ welding shop.
…If you have additional information or want to suggest other places for the ZMM Grants Pass Welder’s shop, please contact me. Many thanks go to the Grants Pass Historical Society for their timely assistance.

Why Does The ZMM Narrator Say => “A Kind Of Village-Smithy Appearance?”
…Properly educated English Language persons should immediately recognize the lines of Cambridge, MA Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882. More Information, and especially good photo of Poet, Click Here.
……
Under a spreading chestnut-tree
⁠The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands,
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.
……
For The Full Poem “The Village Blacksmith”, Click Here.
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(Photo = 115-1501c ...... ZMM Page = 319 ...... WayPt = 404w 0931ft)

A Typical Grants Pass Street Scene, Looking South, Down Hill Towards The Rogue River.

…We See The River’s Valley, And The Mountains Beyond The River’s Valley.

….“ …. and putt along through the cheerful streets looking for a restaurant. Traffic everywhere, alert, well-maintained cars, most of them. West Coast. Hazy clean sunlight of a town out of the range of the coal vendors.“(Cont. Next)

North 6th Street, Business District, Grants Pass, OR.

The Previous 3 Photos Have Discussed The Rogue River, And This River Will Be A Feature of Forthcoming Photos.
…The name apparently began with French fur trappers who called the river La Riviere aux Coquins because they regarded the natives as rogues (coquins).
Excerpt From Wikipedia. More Information Click Here.

DATE-LINE: January 25, 2021. by Henry Gurr.
….. New Information Found Since My First ZMM Route Research Trip Back in Summer 2002.
…As mentioned in the 2nd previous photo, my Grants Pass ZMM Research “concentrated on finding all I could about possible 1968 welders and possible 1968 welding shops”.
…Back then, most of the people I talked to seem to agree that the Welding Shop of Mr. Roy S. Fixsen was the best candidate for the Narrator’s ”ultra clean” description. Mr. Fixsen’s shop was literally downhill from the rest of the town. Thus my photos & discussion you’ll view, were based on Mr Fixsen & his “in town” shop location.

However, Starting In June 30, 2019, Mr Blue Nelson (Of Gold Hill, OR) And Mr Bill Quaccia (Town Of Rogue River, OR), Sent Me a series of Emails with Photos about the Welding & Motorcycle Repair Machine Shop of Mr Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor. Mr McGregor’s Shop was (is), several miles away from Grants Pass, on Rogue River Highway (Oregon Rt-99).
….As you will see in evidence provided, the excellent welder abilities of Mr Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor, most certainly is the ZMM Welder at Grants Pass, OR, where the ZMM Narrator Went To Have The Chain Guard Welded.
… The Nineth Through Thirteenth Photo NEXT, Fully Explains Why.


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A 1970 Type Restaurant At The North End Of The Business District Near The Freeway And The Motels.

…“At the edge of town we find a restaurant …. ” (Cont. Next).

North 6th Street, Business District, Grants Pass, OR. As mentioned in an earlier photo, my photos here show sunlight out of sync with the ZMM Narrative.
…I camped overnight East of Grants Pass (near Gold Hill, OR). Therefore, starting with /\ Above /\ Photos, my photos show the next morning, as I arrived into Grants Pass, OR.
…This is contrary the ZMM Travel Narrative, where the Narrator’s “ we find a restaurant …. ”, which is at mid-day.
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This Is My Restaurant, Which Was Nearer To the Center of Town.

…“[ …. we find a restaurant …. ]” (Cont. Next)

Business District, Grants Pass, OR.
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My Restaurant, Inside View.

…“ …. and sit and wait at a red and white tableclothed table. Chris unfolds a copy of Motorcycle News, which I bought at the cycle shop, and reads out loud who has won all the races, and an item about cross-country cycling. The waitress looks at him, a little curiously, and then at me, then at my cycle boots, then jots down our order. She goes back into the kitchen and comes out again and looks at us. I guess that she’s paying so much attention to us because we’re alone here. While we wait she puts some coins in the jukebox and when breakfast comes—waffles, syrup and sausages, ah—we have music with it. Chris and I talk about what he sees in Motorcycle News and we are talking over the noise of the record in the relaxed way people talk who have been many days on the road together and out of the corner of my eye I see that this is watched with a steady gaze. After a while Chris has to ask me some questions a second time because that gaze kind of beats on me, and it’s hard to think of what he’s saying. The record is a country western about a truck driver. . . . …. ” (Cont. Next)

Business District, Grants Pass, OR.
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The USA West Coast Is A Lonely Place.

…“ …. I finish the conversation with Chris. .. As we leave and go out and start up the cycle, there she is in the door watching us. Lonely. She probably doesn’t understand that with a look like that she isn’t going to be lonely long. I kick the starter and gun the engine too hard, frustrated by something, and as we ride for the welder again, it takes a while to snap out.” (Cont. Next)

North 6th Street, Business District, Grants Pass, OR. *************************

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The ZMM Narrator Cleans the Chain Guard Under What He Calls “The Spreading Chestnut Tree.”
“
…“The welder is in, an old man in his sixties or seventies, and he looks at me disdainfully—a complete reversal from the waitress. I explain about the chain guard and after a while he says, "I’m not taking it off for you. You’ll have to take it off." .. I do this and show it to him, and he says, "It’s full of grease." .. I find a stick out in back under the spreading chestnut tree and scrape all the grease into a trash barrel. From a distance he says, "There’s some solvent in that pan over there." I see the flat pan and get out the remaining grease with some leaves and the solvent.” (Cont. Next)

Back of property, 954 Sixth Street SW, Business District, Grants Pass, OR. Local people agree that Mr. Fixsen’s personality fits the Narrator’s description. Fixsen is his name, and not word play on what he did for his life’s work!
…If you have additional information or want to suggest other places for the Grants Pass Welder’s shop, please contact me.
*************************

Why Does The ZMM Narrator Say => “ Under The Spreading Chestnut Tree?”
…Properly educated English Language persons should immediately recognize the lines of Cambridge, MA Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882. More Information, and especially good photo of Poet, Click Here.
……
Under a spreading chestnut-tree
⁠The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands,
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.
……
For The Full Poem “The Village Blacksmith”, Click Here.

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Welding With A Gas Torch.

…“When I show it to him he nods and slowly goes over and sets the regulators for his gas torch. Then he looks at the tip and selects another one. Absolutely no hurry. He picks up a steel filler rod and I wonder if he’s actually going to try to weld that thin metal. Sheet metal I don’t weld. I braze it with a brass rod. When I try to weld it I punch holes in it and then have to patch them up with huge blobs of filler rod. "Aren’t you going to braze it?" I ask. .. "No," he says. Talkative fellow. .. He sparks the torch, and sets a tiny little blue flame and then, it’s hard to describe, actually dances the torch and the rod in separate little rhythms over the thin sheet metal, the whole spot a uniform luminous orange-yellow, dropping the torch and filler rod down at the exact right moment and then removing them. No holes. You can hardly see the weld. "That’s beautiful," I say.” (Cont. Next)
North 6th Street, Business District, Grants Pass, OR. Ms Jan Aijian has granted permission for ZMMquality.org to display this photo here. I hope she will soon send more photos which, like this one, that illustrates the welder striking his torch (sparks but no flame), the welder working, and the welder’s gas cylinders, etc as described in these ZMM passages.
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(Photo = Jan Aijian=Brazing ...... ZMM Page = 320 ..... WayPt = 398w 0985ft)