The Narrator Awakes To A Cold Grey Predawn.

….(Start Chapter 26) “A sensation of cold wakes me up. I see out of the top of the sleeping bag that the sky is dark grey. I pull my head down and close my eyes again. .. Later I see the grey of the sky is lighter, and it’s still cold. I can see the vapor of my breath. An alarmed thought that the grey is from rain clouds overhead wakes me up, but after looking carefully I see that this is just grey dawn. It seems too cold and early to start riding yet, so I don’t get out of the bag. But sleep is gone.“ (Cont.Next)

Brownlee Camp Ground ~18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PHOTO =>

… NOW From The Above Discussion, Why Is There No Adequate Narrator Answer back to Chris? =>
…. The “ chirping of some little bird “ foretells => Of the New Arriva …Being Pre-Announced: … What Was coming? …What was being foretold => WAS =>
…. “Chris is trying to ~”Reach out” to his Dad, but The Narrator only replies with ~”Non-Answers”. And as a major point of The ZMM Novel => THE NARRATOR’S INABILITIES TO RELATE TO HIS SON, HAS NO ANSWER!”

AND We See A Master Motif Here =>
…..The “ chirping of some little bird “ foretells Chris trying to “reach out”. …“ there’s no sound.“ is the non-answers from the Narrator Dad. …“ I can hear a small stream nearby,“ is the sound of nature in the flow of time.


AN EXPLANATION REPEATED FROM A ZMM PART II PHOTO => ….
….In such above-mentioned => Master Motif situations => Author Robert Pirsig is telling us, he in retrospect knows that => He, as author, recognizes that his writing into ZMM as a Novel, and HE KNOWS FULL WELL THAT =>
… The Narrator’s “Unsympathetic, Bad Behavior To Chris”: And this very Master Motif Method, is his Author’s coded short-hand way to tell us, he, as Author, very well knows this! , … Click Here To Read => ZMM Research: The ZMM Narrator’s Treatment Of Chris, Both Good & Bad.
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As the Narrator More Fully Awakes, He Is Rested, Alert, Observant & Ready For This Day’s Chautauqua on Gumption.
….The Correlated Idea => “Everything With a Purpose“ Is Prompted by His Guardian Cycle.

The ZMM Narrator Says =>
….“Through the spokes of the motorcycle wheel I see Chris’s sleeping bag on the picnic table, twisted all around him. He isn’t stirring.
.... The cycle looms silently over me, ready to start, as if it has waited all night like some silent guardian.
.... Silver-grey and chrome and black—and dusty. Dirt from Idaho and Montana and the Dakotas and Minnesota. From the ground up it looks very impressive. No frills. Everything with a purpose.
.... I don’t think I’ll ever sell it. No reason to, really. They’re not like cars, with a body that rusts out in a few years. Keep them tuned and overhauled and they’ll last as long as you do. Probably longer. Quality. It’s carried us so far without trouble.“(Cont.Next)

Brownlee Camp Ground 18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.

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At the Brownlee Campground, The ZMM Narrator’s High Bluff Is Seen Between the Trees, Illuminated By Morning Light.
….The Sun Is Up, And The Narrator’s => Feeling Manic And Jumpy From The Brisk Morning Air, Hollers "WAKE! =>
….And Continues With The Opening Quatrain Of The Rubàiyat Of Omar Khayyàm.

The ZMM Narrator Says =>
….“ …. The sunlight just touches the top of the bluff high above the draw we’re in. A wisp of fog has appeared above the creek. That means it’ll warm up.
.... I get out of the sleeping bag, put shoes on, pack everything I can without waking Chris, and then go over to the picnic table and give him a shake to wake him up.
.... He doesn’t respond. I look around and see that there are no jobs left to do but wake him up, and hesitate, but feeling manic and jumpy from the brisk morning air holler, "WAKE!" and he sits up suddenly, eyes wide open.
.... I do my best to follow this with the opening Quatrain of The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm.“ (Cont.Next)

Brownlee Campground ~18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.

If you look at top center, you can see the nearly barren “bluff high above the draw we’re in.“
….This reminds the Narrator of similar landscape of Persia where the “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm.“ takes place.
….Perhaps also the Blooming Wild Rose, that are here at this campground, and all along the ZMM Route in this area of Idaho, was noticed by the Narrator, and might have stimulated his Spontaneous Recitation, of “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm“ Which is very long, but includes these lines. =>
… “Each Morn a thousand Roses brings, you say:
…Yes, but where leaves the Rose of Yesterday?
…And this first Summer month that brings the Rose
…Shall take Jamshyd and Kaikobad away.“, .

Spontaneous Reciting Lines Of Poetry, Are What Happens When You Are Filled With Gumption!
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Was the Narrator’s “Opening Quatrain “ Poetry Recitation =>
….Was Prompted, In 1968, By Seeing, At The Brownlee Campground, White Blossoms of the Wild Rose?
…Like The Two White Blossoms Seen, Just Left Of Base Of Big Tree, At Right Of Dirt Driveway. ,

The ZMM Narrator Says =>
….[ “I do my best to follow this with the opening Quatrain of The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm.“ ] “It looks like some desert cliff in Persia above us. But Chris doesn’t know what the hell I’m talking about. He looks up at the top of the bluff and then just sits there squinting at me. You have to be in a certain mood to accept bad recitations of poetry. Particularly that one.“ (Cont. Next)

Brownlee Campground ~18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.

I, Henry Gurr, first noticed blooming wild rose bushes while taking ZMM Route pictures, ~30 Miles prior to Cambridge, ID.
..****************..

….While The Narrator & Chris Are At The Brownlee Campground, We Are Not Given Any Of This Rubàiyat Poem’s Words.
.BUT as they travel further West Into Oregon, for no apparent reason, the Narrator continues his poetry recitation involvement => Those crazy Rubàiyat Quatrains keep rumbling through my head.. => Forthcoming Photos, show what happens.
..****************..

….Wikipedia gives extensive history of “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm” , and snips of the poem to illustrate the problems of translation to English.

After The Below Blue Link Cones Up, You Can Read A Brief History, Then Read The Entire Poem. =>
...Right Click & Open In A New Browser Frame, For The Page => “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm” , posted by the Iranian Cultural Organization (ICO). At The University Of California San Francisco.
…. The ICO Home Page Explains => We are a non-religious and politically-unaffiliated organization at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Our aim is to introduce the wonderful Persian culture to our members, the UCSF campus, and the community.
.****************..

As Given By The Above Blue Link
… Below Are Shown, A Selection Of This Poem’s Lines, Which Author Robert Pirsig, Has Written Into ZMM, As Being Recited By The Narrator =>

Each Morn a thousand Roses brings, you say:
Yes, but where leaves the Rose of Yesterday?
And this first Summer month that brings the Rose
Shall take Jamshyd and Kaikobad away.

Well, let it take them! What have we to do
With Kaikobad the Great, or Kaikhosru?
Let Zal and Rustum bluster as they will,
Or Hatim call to Supper-heed not you.

With me along the strip of Herbage strown
That just divides the desert from the sown,
Where name of Slave and Sultan is forgot-
And Peace to Mahmud on his golden Throne!

A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread-and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness-
Oh, Wilderness were Paradise now!
..****************..

NOTE: After The Above Blue Link Comes Up, With The Whole Of => “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm” , =>
…..You will find additional Interesting Poetic Allusions > By > Do > Top > Edit > Find > Rose .
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Saturday, July 20, 2024: … David Matos & Henry Gurr’s Travel Was Similar To That Of Chris & The ZMM Narrator => “We Drive In Total Darkness For The Remaining ~20 Miles To The “Brownlee Campground, For The Night”.
… It Was after 11:00 PM, And We Were VERY Tired …. Thus The Photos For The /\Above/\ Panorama Were Taken Early Next Morning.

Brownlee Campground, Idaho.

NOTE: Subsequently, Many Other Photos Were Taken That Early Next Morning, Which You Will See In Photos Forthcoming.

File = DSC_0241 Djm&HsgCampSite+Surround BrownleeCmpGnd Resize2759x400.jpg

A Daylight View Similar To What Robert Pirsig & Chris’ 1968 Campsite May Have Looked Like, Including The ZMM Narrator’s Picnic Table.
…
Brownlee Campground, ~18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.
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The /\Above Photo by Steven Simons, May 2017, Was Found On The Side Panel Of Google Map/Satellite View Here => Click Here, To See 14 Brownlee Campground Photos, 6 Of Which Show The ZMM Narrators “I can hear a small stream nearby.” .
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A Daylight View Similar To What Robert Pirsig & Chris, In 1968 May Have Seen, Including The ZMM Narrator’s “I can hear a small stream nearby.”
…
Brownlee Campground, ~18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.
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Repeat Of Previous Photo =>
…The /\Above Photo by Steven Simons, May 2017, Was Found On The Side Panel Of A Google Map/Satellite View Here => . Click Here, To See 14 Brownlee Campground Photos, 6 Of Which Show The ZMM Narrators “I can hear a small stream nearby.” .
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Sunday, July 21, 2024: …A Really Grand Wild Rose, With An Abundance Of White Blossoms.
…Found Along The Entrance Drive Of The Brownlee Campground.
,

Brownlee Campground, ~18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.
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Sunday, July 21, 2024: …A Wild Rose, With One Yellow-White Blossom, At Base Of A Large Pine Tree.
…Henry Gurr Believes This Wild Rose Is The Same Rose Bush, 22 Years Later, At The Same Brownlee Campground Location, As Saw & Photographed Back In June 2002.
…Which Was Shown In A Previous Photo, With Words => “The Two White Blossoms Seen, Just Left Of Base Of Big Tree, At Right Of Dirt Driveway”. ,

Brownlee Campground, ~18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.

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Sunday, July 21`, 2024: …A Close Up Of The Seed Pod Of The Same Wild Rose Bush, Seen In Previous Photo.
…This Shows That This Bush, Really IS A Rose! ,
…But, When Comparing These Leaves & Seed Pod , With Multiflora Rose, You Can See That These Rose Bushes, Found Hereabouts, Are NOT “Multiflora Rose”!
…You Can Tell This By Looking At The Close-Ups Of Multiflora Rose Leaf & Seed Pod Photos Click Here.
…NOTE: AFTER the above Blue Link comes up, you can read a Multiflora Rose Short Profile + Invasive Species Control Methods. And View 10 Good Photos + Video.

Multiflora Rose: A Brief History Of How This Invasive Species Came To USA, & Two Wonderful Close-Up Photos Of Blossoms.
… Click Here For “Green Abundance By Design” Multiflora Rose WebPage.

Brownlee Campground, ~18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.

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Sunday, July 21, 2024: …As David Matos & Henry Gurr Leave The Entrance Drive Of The Brownlee Campground, We Look Back To See The Cattle Guard Barrier At The Entrance.
…Seeing This, Reminds Henry Of His Experience Here In 2002. He Was Awakened At Dawn, And Frightened By A Herd Of Cattle That Came By His Tent, Mooing & Bawling, As They Harmlessly Moved On-By.
…This Cattle Guard, Must Have Been Installed, To Keep Wandering Herds OUT, Evermore! ,

The ZMM Narrator Says =>
…“Soon we’re on the road again, ”

Brownlee Campground, ~18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.
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Sunday, July 21, 2024: …Just After David Matos & Henry Gurr Leave The The Brownlee Campground, We See This Dramatic Heading Down-Seep & Tight Curved.
…Seeing This /\Above/\ Scene, Reminds Henry, To Bring Up Google Street View, And See What Kind Of Motorcycle Ride Experience Is Ahead! ,

The ZMM Narrator Says =>
…“[Soon we’re on the road again,] which twists and turns. We stem down into an enormous canyon [of the Snake River] with high white bluffs on either side. The wind freezes. The road comes into some sunlight which seems to warm me right through the jacket and sweater, but soon we ride into the shade of the canyon wall again where again the wind freezes. This dry desert air doesn’t hold heat. My lips, with the wind blowing into them, feel dry and cracked. ”

Brownlee Campground, ~18 miles Northwest of Cambridge, ID.
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Although The Road Ahead Is Not Especially Curvy For Motorcyclist Delight.
…However, It IS A Nice Scenic Ride Along The Draw Of Brownlee Creek, All The Way Generally Northwest To The Water Of The Snake River, At The Idaho-Oregon Border.
… Click Here To Go To Google Street View, Showing The Entrance Of The Brownlee Campground, .And The Tight Down Curve Of Rt-71 Ahead.

File = DSC_0278 Resize602x400.jpg

This Single Tree Is Human Planted and Irrigated. Otherwise, This Shows A Typical View of the Treeless, Dry Grassy Rounded Hills Seen From the Road.

…. “Soon we’re on the road again, which twists and turns. We stem down into an enormous canyon with high white bluffs on either side. The wind freezes. The road comes into some sunlight which seems to warm me right through the jacket and sweater, but soon we ride into the shade of the canyon wall again where again the wind freezes. This dry desert air doesn’t hold heat. My lips, with the wind blowing into them, feel dry and cracked.
.... Farther on we cross a dam and leave the canyon into some high semidesert country. …. “(Cont.Next)

Brownlee Dam Reservoir & Lake, Snake River Canyon, Border of ID & OR. ….The Narrator’s “We stem down “ is interesting usage of a term applied to a side stream going down to a major river.
..****************..
….Because of my previously mentioned, camera dead-battery problem (back at Brownlee Campground, and no place to re-charge within 20 miles), I Have No Photos showing the Narrator’s “twists and turns,“ nor any photos of the "enormous canyon with high white bluffs on either side.“, as mentioned next photo. Can You Help Supply Photos for this road and this area of Idaho? Please email => HenryG__USCA.edu.
..****************..
….My (Henry S Gurr), Story About Two Dead Camera Batteries & WHY I Have ONLY ONE Photo of the ZMM Narrator's West Idaho Brownlee Campground.
….AND thus Failed to Capture The 20 to 30 Beef Cattle Herd That Frequents This Public Campground.
….Completely unaware of the developing blockage, I arrived at Brownlee Campground, with both Camera Batteries, nearly dead and un able to take any photo. You May Read How I Was Able To Warm Up My Nearly Dead Batteries, Just Enough To Get One Photo: Right Click & Open In A New Tab.

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Overlooking Brownlee Dam Reservoir-Lake, Local History Signs Explain Prospecting & Mining In This Region. =>
….The Left Sign Says John Brownlee Operated A River Ferry For Miners 1862-64, And Merely From This Meager Beginning => His Name Brownlee Is Adopted For ALL The Major Institutions In This Region!
…. The Steep Canyon Walls Are Seen Above the Water Are Probably Volcanic Rocks, Also Part The Columbia River Basalt Group.

….[ “ …. My lips, with the wind blowing into them, feel dry and cracked.“ ]
….“Farther on we cross a dam ….“

The ZMM Narrator’s“ We Cross A Dam ” Was In 1968: AND By Happenstance Is Same Summer When The Dam Was Completed (See Discussion Below). Before This Year, There Was Likely NO Road Crossing Of The Snake River Hereabouts. (Cont.Next)

Seven Tenths mile upriver from Brownlee Dam, Snake River Canyon, Border of ID & OR.
..****************..

According To An Idaho Power Company Re-Licensing Document April 25 2003, The Dam For This Lake Was Completed By Summer 1968. Start PDF.
…. “A classic debate between the proponents of public and private power [started in 1930’s and ] then ensued and continued until 1955, when the Federal Power Commission (FPC) issued a license to Idaho Power Company for its three dam complex. Construction of the Hells Canyon Complex began in the late 1950s, with formal dedication of the entire complex occurring in May of 1968. The HCC is a 1,167 megawatt, 3-dam complex on the Snake River bordering Oregon and Idaho. The HCC Project is comprised of Brownlee,….Oxbow,….and Hells Canyon ….dams and their associated reservoirs, which inundated 12,000 acres and 94 miles of the Snake River.” End PDF.
….((NOTE: The above is/was from a WebPage no longer available, even at Archive.org. The Document was originally at => www.wrd.state.or.us/publication/pdfs/hydro/HCC_PUSP_4-25-03_PDF.pdf: ))
..****************..

….MORE INFORMATION ABOUT =>
…I) The Electrical Power Generation Dams On The Snake River, And
…II) Environmental Concerns, Including Associated Wildlife & Fish Reduction.
…A) Brownlee Dam is a hydroelectric earth fill embankment dam in the western United States, on the Snake River on the Idaho-Oregon border, Click Here.
This Wikipedia has a good photo of =>
….. a) Aerial View of Dam, Spillway, and Lake. ….
….. b) A Close Up (Fully Readable) Photo Of The LEFT Sign In /\ Above /\ Photo.
NOTE => Interestingly, we learn that => The Creek at Brownlee Campground, where Narrator & Chris stayed overnight => had “silver mines on Brownlee Creek.”.
…B) Hells Canyon Complex FERC No. 1971.. License Application. General Description and Location of the Hells Canyon Complex.... This huge document covers in great detail => Brownlee Dam, Oxbow Dam, and Hells Canyon Dam.
…C) Northwest Power and Conservation Council Document.
…. This Document Covers => At the center of this public debate were questions about how to develop the hydropower potential of the substantial annual volume of the Snake River in Hells Canyon; how to preserve the scenic canyon for public recreation; and how to protect salmon and steelhead that passed through or spawned in the canyon. These fish had economic importance in the region and, for Indian tribes, a cultural importance.

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This Is The Huge Lake That Forms Upstream From Brownlee Dam.

….[ “Farther on we cross a dam ..“] .“ and leave the canyon into some high semidesert country.“ (Cont.Next)

Idaho Power Company, Woodhead Recreation Area, Brownlee Reservoir & Dam, Border of ID & OR. The Narrator says they “cross a dam“ and the next sentence says they are in Oregon. This specifically implies they must have crossed the Snake River (and deep canyon), since this river is an unavoidable and major N-S barrier, that forms the Eastern border of Oregon. These words also imply that in 1968 their highway crossed on top of a dam.
….I traveled West from the “Brownlee Campground“ to the Oregon towns of Baker and Unity, which are the next mentioned ZMM towns. I used the only reasonable and available route to connect up these ZMM Route Landmarks and was surprised to find I crossed the Snake River (not on a dam), but on a bridge one mile North of Brownlee Dam This additional 1 mile distance is not shown on my 1964 RMcNally Map, which agrees with the Narrator’s statement.
….Well What Can We Conclude About Author Robert Pirsig’s 1968 Crossing Dams In The Area, As The ZMM Passage Says?
….The two obvious Snake River dams in this vicinity, were/are the Brownlee Dam and the Ox Bow Dam. Photos show that The Brownlee Dam has a roadway part way over it. But this abruptly ends at the edge of a huge and deep spillway. Perhaps there once was a bridge over the spillway? And then later someone decided the traffic over the dam was low Quality, and means were found to make a proper bridge a mile North.
…. I studied Topozone Maps for areas surrounding both dams, since they typically show all roads, new and old. According to these maps, the Idaho side of Brownlee Dam shows a connecting road, going to the Brownlee Dam, with a connecting road continuation on the Oregon side of the river. The maps show Ox Bow Dam has connecting roads, but these are not accessible from Idaho Rt 71, the road that goes by the Brownlee Camp Ground.
….From the roads shown on the Topozone Map => I provisionally conclude that the Narrator means he crossed over into Oregon (and thus over the Snake River) on the top of The Brownlee Dam, that continued over a spillway bridge (since removed. Click Here To Open In A New Browser Tab, Shoewing.Topozone.com/map of Brownlee Dam (At GPS 44.8389 .-16.9035 )
….AFTER this map comes up, you can ClickDrag ~6 times SE along Dukes Creek, and keep going you will find South Brownlee Creek, and along it Brownlee Campground and” Tight U” Curve Rt-71, which is shown as square dots.
..****************..
….((Photos needed showing several views of the Snake River Canyon, just North of the Brownlee Dam. The needed photos for this passage, would show where the road passes into the (freezing) shade from the early morning sun.))

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Here the Green Irrigated Valley Floors Are Surrounded By Hills Of Baked, Dry Brown,
….Pretty Much Fits The Narrator’s Passage Below.

….[ “Farther on we cross a dam and leave the canyon into some high semidesert country.” ]
…. “This is Oregon now. The road winds through a landscape that reminds me of northern Rajasthan, in India, where it’s not quite desert, much piñon, junipers and grass, but not agricultural either, except where a draw or valley provides a little extra water.
.... Those crazy Rubàiyat Quatrains keep rumbling through my head.

.something, something along some Strip of .. Herbage strown,
….That just divides the desert from the sown,
Where name of Slave and Sultan scarce is known,
And pity Sultan Mahmud on his Throne . . .
….That conjures up a glimpse of the ruins of an ancient Mogul palace near the desert where out of the corner of his eye he saw a wild rosebush . . .
…. And this first summer Month that brings the Rose . . . “(Cont.Next)

~Fifteen Miles WestSouthWest of Ox Bow Dam, Which Is At => ID & Oregon Border. The “not quite desert“,is seen in the /\ Above /\ Photo, and seen in many of my photos forthcoming, which were taken along this road.
….Also seen is green & agriculture where “draw or valley provides a little extra water”, This is usually seen in low flat valley floors of my photos, like /\ Above /\ Photo on BOTH sides of the road.
..****************..
NEW TOPIC: These Narrator Inserted Interludes of => “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm “ Seem To Have No Purpose.
….So, Why Does The Narrator Keep Coming Back To “Those crazy Rubàiyat Quatrains“?
….By now you should have noticed, throughout ZMM that => The Narrator only introduces an idea (or an observation) when it has an illustrative or poetic support, connecting with the Chautauqua at hand.
….So Please Start Pondering This Question (Bold Above), And Send Me Your Ideas.
….The Entire Poem And A Bit Of Its History Are At =>: Right Click & Open In A New Browser Frame, For The Page => “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm” , posted by the Iranian Cultural Organization (ICO). At The University Of California San Francisco.

..****************..
The ZMM Narrator Says They “Cross A Dam“, And The Next Sentence Says They Are In Oregon.
….But This Leaves Out Much ZMM Route Travel Distance, & Some Fantastic Travel Scenery, You Should Be Aware Of =>
,,Looking at your Road Atlas, or Use Satellite View Blue Link Below. Please see =>
…A) Zoom out, and watch upper left till, you see the Water of the Snake River or The Brownlee Dam Reservoir Lake, Then =>
…B) Follow Rt-71 North along the water, till you see it End at a Bridge, which crosses over to Oregon. Continue on over the bridge =>
…C) Now in Oregon, continue following the Brownlee Oxbow Highway, Northeast: The road runs along the water of the Snake River, which here is the notorious Hell’s Canyon. This water will get wider and wider, because it’s now the Reservoir Lake of the Oxbow Dam.
…D) Continuing Northeast, you will see a secondary road loop, from which the traveler can see the Oxbow Dam.
…E) North of the Oxbow Dam< you see the River Do a Tight-U Turn. This is the “Oxbow”~
…F) The Brownlee Oxbow Highway, continues into town of Oxbow, OR, and soon thereafter junctions with Rt-86 to Richland, OR, and then Baker City, OR. “
AFTER This Satellite Vu Comes Up, You Can See The Roads A) thru E Discussed Above.

..****************..
Excerpt Wikipedia Oxbow Word Origin Etymology.( Has Photo of the Ox Yoke with two Oxbows Inserted.).
…. An oxbow is a U-shaped metal [or wood] pole … that fits [around] the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or bullock. A bow pin holds it in place, [into a larger formed wooden ~beam].
….The term "oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-shaped meander in a river, sometimes cut off from the modern course of the river that formed it. [[The word (and idea) of “Oxbow” goes back to the 1400’s, before most people could read (or know the alphabet). This is because people who know the alphabet would originally call this shape a “U-Shape”!! ]]
..****************..
THE NEXT PHOTO PRESENTS =>
…. What The ZMM Reader Should Know & Understand About the Snake River, Before AND After It Passes Through Hell’s Canyon.
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This Is What Northeastern Oregon Looks Like In Places Where There Is No Available Water for Irrigation.
..The ZMM Narrator’s Mind Continues to Ruminate On
….A) “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm“ AND
….B) “These Fragments …Of Memory…“

….“How did that go? I don’t know. I don’t even like the poem. I’ve noticed since this trip has started and particularly since Bozeman that these fragments seem less and less a part of his memory and more and more a part of mine. I’m not sure what that means . . . I think . . . I just don’t know.
....I think there’s a name for this kind of semidesert, but I can’t think of what it is. No one can be seen anywhere on the road but us.
.... Chris hollers that he has diarrhea again.“(Cont.Next)

~23 Miles WestSouthWest of Ox Bow Dam, Which Is At => ID & Oregon Border.
..****************.

What The ZMM Reader Should Know & Understand About the Snake River, Before AND After It Passes Through Hell’s Canyon.
…. Excerpt From Wikipedia, Which Has 24 Good Photos, & Three Maps. (Both the Photos & Maps, Right Click Open In New Tab, THEN Can Click On To Make Nicely Larger.)
…. The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At 1,078 miles (1,735 km) long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake River rises in western Wyoming [South of Yellowstone National Park], then flows through the Snake River Plain of southern Idaho, the rugged Hells Canyon on the Oregon–Idaho border and the rolling Palouse Hills of Washington, emptying into the Columbia River at the Tri-Cities, Washington.
….The Snake River drainage basin encompasses parts of six U.S. states (Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming) and is known for its varied geologic history [such as =>] The Snake River Plain was created by a volcanic hotspot which now lies underneath the Snake River headwaters in Yellowstone National Park. Gigantic glacial-retreat flooding episodes that occurred during the previous Ice Age carved out canyons, cliffs and waterfalls along the middle and lower Snake River. Two of these catastrophic flooding events, the Missoula Floods and Bonneville Flood, significantly affected the river and its surroundings.
….By the middle 19th century, the Oregon Trail had become well established, bringing numerous settlers to the Snake River region.
….[For the Emigrant Settlers traveling The Oregon Trail, the above mentioned Snake River Plain, had good water & fodder, and was comparatively level expeditious travel for ~300 miles. ]

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Are These “Persian Hills”, Like Those Seen By The Narrator As He Sat On His “Omar Khyyam Rock”?
….Does The Narrator’s Recitation Of This Poem = Procrastination? =>
…….So As To Delay His Start On The Tough & Boring, Gumptionology Chautauqua?

….[ “ Chris hollers that he has diarrhea again. “].”
…. We ride until I see a stream below and pull off the road and stop. His face is full of embarrassment again but I tell him we’re in no hurry and get out a change of underwear and roll of toilet paper and bar of soap and tell him to wash his hands thoroughly and carefully after he’s done.”

….“I sit on an Omar Khayyàm rock contemplating the semidesert and feel not bad. ..
….And this first Summer month that brings the Rose . . . oh . . . now it comes back. . . .
Each Morn a thousand Roses brings, you say ,
Yes, but where leaves the Rose of Yesterday?
And this first Summer month that brings the Rose ,
Shall take Jamshyd and Kaikobad away.
….And so on and so forth . . .

…….. Let’s get off Omar and onto the Chautauqua. Omar’s solution is just to sit around and guzzle the wine and feel so bad that time is passing and the Chautauqua looks good to me by comparison. Particularly today’s Chautauqua, which is about gumption.“(Cont.Next)

Land Slide Area, Rt-86, ~12 Miles WestNorthwest of => Richland, OR. Baker City, OR. In The /\ Above /\ Google Street View, at bottom center, you can see the stream and a stretch of the old Rt-86, which is gravel. This stream gets larger as it flows East, and before it flows into the Snake River, is called Powder River. The SECOND Next Photo has a larger view of this area and more explanation.
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….While he waits for Chris to finish, the Narrator here calmly and constructively uses this temporary setback (delay), to relax, rest, and enjoy the scenery. The scene evokes a thoughtful, attentive mood in the Narrator. The same is evoked in us as we read.
….Also, this break from road travel provides time for the Narrator to gradually fetch parts of “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm” from memory-AND finish for us, the opening Quatrain of The “Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm”. Gumption indeed!
….Do these Ohmar Khayyàm’s 12th Century Persian Verses have any connection to Gumption? Can anyone hazard a guess what this might be? Also, what is the ZMM significance of the Blooming Wild Rose?
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In ZMM, Why Does Author Robert Pirsig “Waste” So Many Words On Reciting & Discussing “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm” ?
….Why Does He Insert These ~Persian Poem Interludes?
…A) Is this “Omar Khayyàm rock“ interlude mere space “filler”? Or merely a minor indication of the passing of time in the story? Essentially a “time killer”?
…B) Or did these lines actually run through Author Robert Pirsig’s head on his 1968 trip, and/or while he wrote this Chapter of ZMM, and/or did this happen in his life at random times?
…C) Or does Mr. Pirsig think “The Rubàiyat of Omar Khayyàm” is important for ZMM Readers to know about? For Example => Are these exotic lines, things he wants us as readers, to realize the precious fragility & and temporary nature of our lives. AND =>
…D) Because these semi-desert hills & cliffs ALSO remind him of Persia (or India), AND
…E) Thus, overall, this Oregon Chapter, is the best place in ZMM for Persian Poem Interludes.

…F) Alternatively => It might simply be that these “Wasted Words”, are a delay indicating the author’s procrastination, in getting down to the really tough, boring task of writing about the (Narrator so stated) boring, tough topic of Gumptionology.

…G) Or thinking positively Re These Interludes => Does Mr. Pirsig intend to show that the Narrator can turn the wasted time to good use, as he patiently waits for Chris to finish? And thus to demonstrate Gumption, Exercising Patience, & Mentally “Don’t get in a hurry”, ,. AND =>

…H) Are these Interlude, also designed to make us, as readers, also be like the Narrator =>
…..1) Peaceful and contented, and thus enjoined to allow what is going to happen … to happen … without impatience?
…..2) Keep ourselves on the Quality Track and Full Of Gumption? …
…..3) And thus be alert and actively looking for exactly how we (also) should respond here? And rather than wasting time, find ways to be productive, and stay on The Quality Track.
….So Please Start Pondering These Above Question A) thru H), And Email Send Me Your Ideas. ….

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(Photo = GoogSat HoleInWallGulch&LandSlidePowderRv WyPt300Rt8612MiWnwRichlandOR.jpg ...... ZMM Page = 272 ...... WayPt = 300i1 2552ft. Google Satellite Photo at WayPt = 301w 2970ft