The photos here show some our working environment here at University of South Carolina Aiken, and a few "screen captures" of our software in use. The screen captures show the pages we work with and some of the "quirks" encountered & what to do about them. Active planning for what was to become ZMMquality WebSite, began around April 2002, when I walked over to the USCA University Library to visit Paul Lewis. I wanted his advice on what GPS Handheld Receiver I should purchase for my forth coming ZMM Research Trip. Paul is a University of South Carolina Aiken Research Librarian. Among his multitude of skills and interests, he is a first rate technology/computer expert! And among his various library responsibilities, he is in charge of the USCA Library's Global Position Information System (GIS) Computer Database. So I thought he ought to know what GPS would work best with a GIS. You will read "the rest of the story" in the captions of this album. Links to the software we use are also given.

This ZMMquality Site is dedicated to Paul Lewis, since in essence, he is it's co-creator! And … with many, many hours of prime trouble-shooting and expert computer code manipulations, Paul Lewis has definitely shown he is ZMMquality's mentor and friend!

This Album Shows, In 5 Photo Segments, Google Earth Satellite Views, Of ZMM Route Going West >> FROM >> Two Miles Before It US 12 Crosses Montana’s Powder River ( 2392 Ft) >> TO >> Near Top of the Mountain Pass (3127 Ft), 10 Miles East of Miles City MT. (Image Date 23 June 2015.) As Relates To The ZMM Narrator’s Travel Descriptions In Last Half of Chapter 7: Here Are Some Elevation & Vegetation Facts To Keep In Mind As You Study The Five Satellite Images In This Album:

….US 12 at Powder River (2392 Ft), is only 13 foot higher than Miles City MT (2369 Ft). This is because the Powder has cut down approximately to the level of Yellowstone River, where these rivers join some 45 miles down-stream (NE), from Miles City! Contrast these elevations to Bozeman MT (4793 Ft), approaching a “mile high”!!

…It is an observed fact that => The increase in elevation of 735 Ft, from Powder River >> TO>> US 12 at Main Ridge Road (3127 Ft.), is enough higher in elevation for extra rain, thus creating forested meadows, which the ZMM Narrator Delightfully Reports!! NOTE: Elevations by Free “Elevation Finder This tool can be used to find an estimate for the elevation of a point on the earth. Click/tap the map or type the address in the text box. https://www.freemaptools.com/elevation-finder.htm

Seen in the Satellite Views of this Album; These locations of cooler temperature and extra rainfall are any of the darker green areas. .And these darker green areas (usually forested), can be used to discern relative landscape elevation:

The Five Satellite Views of This Album will effectively show these landscape features, as follows:

ZMM Route Segment 1 …There are none of these darker areas, hence relatively hot & dry! ZMM Route Segment 2: …The darker areas are in the center of the image, plus hills, show presence of a minor ridge. ZMM Route Segment 3: …The darker areas are smaller & thin, meaning road here has gone down slightly. ZMM Route Segment 4: …A lot more dark areas in the image center, continuing on both side of road West. ZMM Route Segment 5: …There is nearly continuous, even much darker areas Northeast corner of Image, plus a less solid patch in South Center of image.

In this album, you will see each of Satellite Segments, along with the relevant ZMM Book Passages. Please click on image above to enter this album.

Click Here For ZMMQ Photo Gallery Detailed Full & Complete Viewing Instructions For ZMMQ Gallery Albums & Photos

This album shows photos of various Rewarding (But Non ZMM) Experiences the ZMM Pilgrim may see along the ZMM Route.

In June/July 2002 I traveled and researched and photographed the entire "route of travel" described by Robert Pirsig in his Book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (ZMM). Of the ~1800 photos taken, those chosen for this album are specifically restricted to those photos that do not illustrate ZMM.


1) Other Rewarding ZMM Route Experiences may be viewed in My Wide View Panoramas Albums.
2) More rewarding Experiences in my album of Flowers and Red Wing Black Birds along the ZMM Route.
3) My Photo Album which specifically does illustrate passages from ZMM is above.
4) Robert Pirsig in Encyclopedia.
5) If you want to see driving instructions on how to follow the "ZMM Route", you may also want to look at my ZMM Travel Guide
6) View Instructions for Slide Show Of These Photos.
7) To Contribute Information, Ideas, Stories, Photos, etc or Ask Questions Contact Me Addresses..

Henry S Gurr’s Sarah-Vinke-Biography-Field Research Photos-& Other Information: This Album Shows what Henry S Gurr ((ZMMQ SiteMaster)), found on his Field Research Trip to the on-site locations where Sarah lived: Included are her Home Town & Childhood Farm at Dallas Center IA, her undergraduate school at Grinnell College, Grinnell IA, and graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison WI: These Photos and Information will provide additional information, background, and understanding of Sarah Jennings Vinke, and will add to & compliment => . The Sarah-Vinke-Biography-Resource-Pages: To Access: Please Click Here.
- ...Discussion: By 13 May 2016, it had come to point where I had to interrupt my vast jungle of personal matters, to go on a ~three-week trip, to do Sarah-Vinke-Biography-Field Research (Iowa & Wisconsin). The Sarah Vinke Biography Field Research included going to 1) Her home town of Dallas Center Iowa, 2) Her Undergraduate School Grinnell College, in Grinnell Iowa, and 3) Her Graduate School, The University of . Wisconsin, in Madison WI. her. …. On way home, I visited Family Ohio & Indiana.

Yes! These are the pictures taken on Robert Pirsig's very own camera as he, Chris, Sylvia, and John made that 1968 epic voyage upon which his book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (ZMM), was based. These 12 photos seem to be the only existing photos from that trip. Mr. Pirsig, when he sent me these photos, said that if he had known his book was going be so famous, he would have taken more photographs. As you will see, nearly all these photos appear to have been "written into" ZMM. This leads me to conjecture that there might have been many other photos that likewise were formative for many, many, other parts of the ZMM Travel Narrative.

NOW AVAILABLE: …
A Travel Route, Marked By Black Felt Tip Marker, On A USA Map Mailed To To Me By John (ZMM) Sutherland. In Mr Sutherland’s cover letter, he said 1) ”The map had been given to him by Mr. Robert Pirsig”, and 2) [The (black felt tip) marked travel route,] "Showed some of Pirsig ideas for their proposed trip in 1968." In essence showed an early ZMM Route.!!
In the envelope, all folded up, was an old National Geographic 26” x 40” Wall Map, dated in the title block June 1951. It is a Pre-Interstate Highway Road Map, that has old deep discolorations of Scotch Tape on the corners, indicating it was, in it’s history, for quite a long duration, actually hung on a wall. On this map, someone, most probably Mr. Pirsig, had marked a planned route West, through Northern Oregon, to the Pacific Coast and thence to San Francisco by way of the Pacific Ocean Coast.
Some other routes were also marked, one of which might have been a return route. Also there were notes on the map, using the same black marker, are written in what appears Mr. Pirsig’s hand writing. (Mr Pirsig typically signs his paper letters, with a black felt tip marker.)
In considering the above, I don't agree with Mr Sutherland, that this map was prepared for what became the "1968 ZMM Trip", over what is now known as the "ZMM Route": Had this map been marked any time after Mr. Pirsig was a Professor (1959-1961) at Montana State College (now Montana State University), Mr Pirsig would have included in the marked routes, Bozeman MT. Which this map does not show: Hence it must show pre 1959 route planning.
To see this map & travel route marked by Pirsig, with complete discussion go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28421778@N02/9694139034/
By Henry Gurr Site Master http://VentureArete.org

For the photographs you will see in this album, I have added a title, added a selected ZMM passage, and provided standard caption format, which includes: ZMM passage & page number, nearest town name, the probable GPS location where the picture was taken, as well as the photo number of my closest matching picture. Mr. Pirsig's own photo captions, sent with his original digital photo files, are included. My photo locations are referenced by a so called "GPS WayPoint Reference Number". A corresponding GPS WayPoint data file will made available upon request. This data file will in turn give precisely the coordinates (degrees North Latitude) + (Degrees West Longitude) for the site of each of my photographs.

New topic: Look closely at the reflection in the shiny gas tank in the first photo. You can faintly discern the image of John, holding the camera at his waist, as he took that photo! HSG