Monday, July 22, 2024: …Another View Of Dense Traffic On US-97.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PHOTO =>
…Alternatively, Travel To Crater Lake, Could Have Long Ago Been The ZMM Narrator’s Goal.
…And If So, There Are Plenty Of OTHER SHORTER AND HIGHER QUALITY ROADS To Crater Lake, …. Byways With Lower Traffic …. Compared To “…arrive in Prineville Junction … at the intersection with Highway 97, where we’ll turn south,” .

For The Following, Look At Your Road Map, Or Study The Satellite View Of Previous Photo.
….Given the Narrator’s criterion, there are obvious choices (way earlier, with shorter total physical distance), would be to travel the High Riding Quality, secondary roads & “scenic by-ways” that have long stretches of low traffic.
… For example, at town of John Day Oregon, turning South off US-26. where you see back-country roads, shown as “small black lines” on my Rand-McNally Maps. These eventually angle over to Bend, Oregon, avoiding many miles of high trafficked main highways and the bustling, detestable city of Redmond, Oregon, and perhaps even parts of Bend, Oregon.
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THE FACTS THAT =>
…A) This “Way Earlier, Find Shorter AND Higher Quality Roads To Crater Lake” OR
…B) This “Continue The Travel Generally West To The Pacific Ocean”,

DID NOT HAPPEN MEANS => Longer Distance, Lower Quality Roads =>

…THUS: There Must Have Been, A Last Minute Change Of Plans =>“… at the intersection with Highway 97, where we’ll turn south,” ,

Why The Abrupt 90 Degree Turn South, Just West Of Prineville Junction, Oregon.
…On US-97, just 0.36 Mile West of Prineville Junction, the busy highways informs the ZMM Narrator that he has reached the West Coast and civilization again, the biggest gumption trap of all, “the funeral procession”. With the return to civilization, the narrator is reminded of both his own psychological struggle attempting to reconcile his past and his worsening relationship with Chris, a ratcheting crisis that builds tension to the climax of the novel. On vacation, motorcycling West, the Narrator could run from his personal demons with Chris in tow.
…But with the arrival at the West Coast and the looming end of the trip, the Narrator could no longer run from and ignore the situation. He is forced to reconcile with the Phaedrus side of his personality and also reconcile his relationship with Chris. As their relationship deteriorates,
…The Narrator’s fatigue and emotional depression are getting worse. And The Narrator’s exceeding frightful bad dreams continue, with warning that Phaedrus is awakening! This is a threat that greatly worries the Narrator, because with the return of Phaedrus, will come insanity, as happened to the Narrator before.
…Faced with all this, we can conjecture that Robert Pirsig, while sitting on that “ Nothing Curb”, decided => 1) To give up on his original plan of continuing West through Oregon to the Pacific Coast. And instead, 2) Make a 90 degree turn to the South, shorted the trip, do more pleasing things for Chris, like see Crater Lake, and with this 3) Thereby safely end the travel, before any destructive Narrator emotional break-down.

To Read More On This Topicj And Learn Why The Abrupt Turn South, Click Here.
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