Detailed Information Concerning My ZMMQ Photo Gallery Album Called Researched Sights and Scenes Along the Travel Route of Book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

These photo albums shows my photographs taken on (or very close to) the highways that connect the towns described in book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (ZMM). I call this “The ZMM Route.” For this part of my photo gallery, each photograph is intended to illustrate a selected passage from ZMM.

Each photo unit in these four albums is composed of five parts as described below. NOTE: This description most especially applies to my 4 ZMM Sight and Scenes Albums, but additionally explains many of my other photo albums since they are pattered similarly.

For full explanation of the exact highways I followed, click on "Travel Guide to ZMM" on the main menu at left. For maps of my trip go to your favorite Rand McNally Road Atlas or click on Fellow ZMM Travelers link under ZMM Links on the main menu at left. This is where you will find the ZMM Rout Maps offered by Professor Gary Wegner's website.

Detailed Explanations of the Captions for the ZMM Route Sights and Scenes Photograph Album.

These captions are composed of five separate parts in the following order.

The first part of each caption (shown in bold), is the caption title. This is intended to say briefly what this photo shows and/or its relevance to ZMM.
The second part of each caption (shown in italic and " " marks) gives a short passage from ZMM book which the photograph illustrates. In most cases, the photograph you are looking at was especially taken with this very ZMM passage in mind. Sometimes portions of the passage were omitted; especially if this part has no relevance to the photograph. These parts are indicated by … three dots. Where the ZMM text has three dots, I have used . . . dot-space-dot-space-dot. If needed, my added words of explanation are shown in [brackets]. The ZMM passage may include several paragraphs. (I have indicated a new ZMM paragraph (if any) by .. two dots, because a "shift-down" to indicate a new paragraph is not possible in gallery captions. Various other abbreviations are occasionally used. The page number (Bantam Paperback Edition) for the quoted ZMM passage is also given at the bottom the caption).
The third part of each caption states the approximate location from which the photo was taken relative to the nearest town shown on my Rand McNally Map. (Town names are shown in bold. Distances given in USA statute miles.) Added to the town name is the two letter standard abbreviation for the State in which the town is located.
The fourth part of each caption is my added description of what I actually found and observed while I was present at (or near) this photograph site, plus other information that I hope will expand readers' understanding of how this photo is related to the ZMM book. Sometimes I add other interesting information related to this site.
The fifth part of each caption is composed of three reference numbers:
1. A photograph serial number: This number is really a seven-character computer filename assigned by my S30 Cannon Digital Camera. The rightmost four sequential digits of this file name are the most important, and are a convenient way to do a Gallery search for this photo. (Gallery search is accessed at the upper right of the my Gallery Pages that list the albums) Since this file name is automatically moved with the photo to my Gallery Albums, I decided this would be an effective way to have a cross-reference number with no extra labor.
2. A ZMM page number which gives the location of the quoted passage, in the Bantam Paperback (New Age) Edition of the book ''Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".
3. A “Way Point Number” supplied by my Global Position System (GPS) hand held radio receiver unit. Each time I stopped to take photographs, I would also take a GPS reading, each of which was assigned a serial number called the Way Point Number. A GPS receiver is really a kind of a radio receiver hooked to its own internal computer. It receives coded data from special earth orbiting satellites. My Garmin GPS 12 unit was somewhat larger than a common cell phone. The GPS unit determines and saves the precise earth location of each of my research photographs. Each location is specified by the number of degrees north latitude and the number of degrees west longitude. (This is the same location reference system used by most map makers.). This location data, tabulated in another document, may at any time be used to look up the earth location of each of my respective photographs. This document, called the ZMM Route Way Point Data List, is thus a complete listing of the degrees north latitude and degrees west longitude for each of my respective way point index numbers. Please contact me to request a copy of this ZMM Route Way Point Data List.

What is the Meaning of the "Code Letters" that Follow the GPS Way Point Number?

The following tabulation explains the code letters that follow my GPS Way Point Numbers. This is my own specialized code used only for ZMM route way points, and is intended to indicate quickly more information about each Way Point. My 16 code letters (below) are an adaptation of (and consistent with) the 16 way point symbol code used in all Garmin GPS receivers. (After the first = I give the corresponding Garmin "GPS Way Point Symbol" and after the second = I give a word discription of what these codes mean re the GPS WayPoints shown on my ZMM Route Photos .

a = First Aid Cross symbol = first aid/hospital = reserved for future use, not currently used in ZMMQG.

b = boat symbol = favorable water sport ZMM Route access point.

c = car symbol= parking lot or other safe place to pull off ZMM highway.

d = dot symbol = a location where GPS Waypoint Data was taken, but for one reason or an other, no photographs were taken.

e = exit symbol = quiet area close to, but away from ZMM highway for rest, study, or contemplation.

f = flag symbol = location of my photographs that show the approach to the next ZMM town, especially if mentioned in ZMM.

g = gas pump symbol = marks large city along ZMM Route where motorcycle parts and repair likely available

h = house symbol = ZMM hotel/motel, especially if mentioned in ZMM.

i = no Garmin GPS Symbol = "i" means intermediate, inserted, imaginary, and invented Way Point. After I returned from my trip, I realize an extra Way Point was needed at a place different from the ones established by my Garmin GPS 12 on my Summer 2002 Research Trip. So I set up a new Way Point (or several) by appending "i" to the Way Pt number of the closest previous Garmin GPS 12 Waypoint number.

j = up-arrow symbol = "Garmin backtrack" symbol = reserved for future use, not currently used in ZMMQG.

k, m, n, p, q, r = no Garmin GPS Symbol = 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th extra letter designations to signify additional photograph(s) taken at or near given way point

(Note: lowercase L was not used because it looks too much like a number one. Lower case. Also, "o" not used because it can be confused with the number zero.).

p = deer symbol = park or other natural environment such as wildlife refuge, state, or national park, along ZMM Route, especially if mentioned in ZMM.

s = skull symbol = unusual danger. Requires extra attention beyond normal = reserved for future use, not currently used in ZMMQG.

t = no symbol = reserved for future use, not currently used in ZMMQG.

u = anchor symbol = restaurant or place to get food along ZMM Route, especially if mentioned in ZMM. (Why "u" letter? Word restaurant has a U that has the curve of an anchor!)

v = fishing symbol = vessel = fishing opportunity or body of water along ZMM Route, especially if mentioned in ZMM.

w = waypoint square symbol = original square symbol assigned by Garmin GPS. Later changed to dot if appropriate. Once changed, you can not get the square symbol back again!

x = X-mark symbol = this marks location of my "360 degree all direction " panorama photo taken at an especially good elevated scenic place that nevertheless is typical of the local area.

y = circle-around-dot = eye = This means a ZMM Location of VERY SPECIAL INTEREST! Look for and consult any other special notes (e.g. photo captions) in what ever document you are currently looking at. Additional information may be available in my other documents. Ask me.

z = tent symbol = Campground along ZMM Route, especially if mentioned in ZMM.

What is the Meaning of the Code Letters that Follow Many of My Photo Serial Numbers?

If any one asks I will supply a listing that explains the code letters that follow the photo numbers.

Detales re My Gallery of 360 Degree "Full Circle" Panorama Photos.

What Is a ZMM Route Panorama Photo and How Were the Panorama Photo Locations Selected?

As I traveled through the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho and Oregon, I searched for especially good scenes for shooting a panoramas. I would try to find especially good vantage points that were good scenic views in relatively open areas on high ground. I made an effort to choose locations which would show typical scenery for that area. In other words, the panorama locations were NOT chosen do show the unique or unusual.

I photographed about fifty of these panoramas.

My Procedure for Shooting the Panoramas

Each image is typically composed of eight separate digital photographs with each photograph showing ~45 degrees of the horizon. Each shot was taken in turn, as I rotated towards my right in a full circle 360 degree rotation. The eight separate photos were later reassembled digitally with photo-stitch software.

Click on "Acknowledgements” upper left, to find what software I used as well as other software used on ZMM Quality.org.

Please be aware that before I started my trip along the ZMM route, I had never photographed any panoramas. Because of this I had to learn as I went along. For this reason, you will see a variety of different looking panoramas, until I finally developed a satisfactory method. I hope these panoramas help you better appreciate the landscapes described by Pirsig in his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Please send an email, if you like these panoramas. Below are instructions for beginners on how to view these panoramas. Or you may go directly to my Panorama Album, where less detailed instructions may be found in the Panorama Album Description at: http://ww2.usca.edu/ResearchProjects/ProfessorGurr/gallery/albums.php?set_albumListPage=2

Why So Many Panorama Photos?

In ZMM (page 42), Pirsig, John and Sylvia discuss the need for a three-hundred-and-sixty degree lens:

"Later, when we stop, Sylvia has tears in her eyes from the wind, and she stretches out her arms and says, "It’s so beautiful. It’s so empty." .. I show Chris how to spread his jacket on the ground and use an extra shirt for a pillow. He is not at all sleepy but I tell him to lie down anyway, he’ll need the rest. I open up my own jacket to soak up more heat. John gets his camera out. .. After a while he says, "This is the hardest stuff in the world to photograph. You need a three-hundred-and-sixty degree lens, or something. You see it, and then you look down in the ground glass and it’s just nothing. As soon as you put a border on it, it’s gone." .. I say, "That’s what you don’t see in a car, I suppose." .. Sylvia says, "Once when I was about ten we stopped like this by the road and I used half a roll of film taking pictures. And when the pictures came back I cried. There wasn’t anything there."

Because ZMM Author Pirsig so carefully describes the need for a "three-hundred-and-sixty degree lens," I decided I would show the wide open spaces along the ZMM Route with 360 degree panorama photos in my Gallery. In many photo locations you see a single photo, because a panorama was not needed. But as I became more skilled at taking panoramas, I gradually began to mentally think "panorama!!" at more and more good panorama places between Minneapolis and San Francisco. As a result, I have many more panorama photos at the end of my ZMM Route Research than at the Beginning.

How Is the Information Organized In The Panorama Captions?

To avoid confusion, the panorama captions are composed of the same five separate parts as the normal captions of the other photographs in these gallery albums.

Since each panorama shows the view in all directions, I will add caption information (as soon as possible) to indicate which portion of the panorama corresponds to the direction of the ZMM route (usually west or southwest) and the directions of north, east and south. In most cases, the panorama you see was especially taken because of the especially good view of the local area. The caption will add information to aid your understanding of what you are looking at. A quotation from the ZMM will be included only if of special importance to this panorama scene.

How Do I View the ZMM Route Panorama Photos? (For Beginners.)

Most web browsers will show the panoramas automatically. However you will want to read the Panorama album description (located just before the thumbnail pages), which explains how to adjust your computer screen for viewing the panoramas. But before you go to the ZMM Route Panorama Photo Album, BE SURE TO READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH..)

Setting Up Your Computer So You Can Open a New Web Browser Window To More Conveniently View These Panorama Images? (For Beginners.)

While you are looking at photos in an album such as "Sights & Scenes Along the ZMM Route," you will arrive at photos that say "this photo is part of a larger panorama." Here you may want to launch a new browser window in which to more conveniently see this panorama. The new window allows you to quickly switch between two browsers as follows: You first browser holds the photos you are currently viewing until you are ready to go back to them. Your second browser can, in the meantime be used to fully explore a panorama, and then wait at that place until you are ready to come back to advance to the next panorama. Many places where you may want to Switch To Viewing Photos in a second Browser, I have provided a special "hot link" to do this automatically. However, there may be circumstances you may want to do this manually, so instructions are given next.

How Do I Manually Launch a NEW Browser Window with Correct Web Address? (For Beginners.)

First, find the web address you want your web browser to go to (example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance... etc .... ) Second: Use your mouse to "highlite" this complete address (i.e. make the complete web address darker by click and slide, with your mouse). Third: At top left of your browser screen, mouse click on Edit>Copy. Fourth: Launch new browser window: To do this, at top left of your browser screen, click on File>New Window. After the new browser window appears, click your mouse cursor in the web address window near top of your browser screen. (You may have to first mouse "Highlite" and "delete" any web address already there). Then, with the mouse cursor still in the web address window near top of your browser screen, at top left of your browser screen, mouse click on Edit>Paste. The desired web address (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance... etc .... ) should be in the address window. THEN press the enter key. The new browser window will now (hopefully) be showing you the desired panorama. A mouse click on the [ double-arrow ] on the bottom right of the panorama, will advance to the next ZMM Route Panorama. At any time, you can click to go back your First Browser window, to resume your viewing of the ZMM Route photos. (In MS Windows computers this is one of the "boxes" at the bottom of your monitor screen. You will have to remember its name.) Note: These instructions may look complex, and for a beginner, they are complex! But once you "get through" these steps several times you will have a new and powerful skill. Learning (useful) complex skills is what the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" urges upon us!

List of Panorama Photographs Along the ZMM Route.

If people ask me to do so, I will eventually prepare a summary tabulation of all the ZMM Route panorama photographs I have taken.

Here Is a List of My Photograph Albums For ZMMQ Web Site, As Is Shown In Small photos in lower Menu at left.

Most of what you will see in these photos albums is self explanatory. But just in case you may have missed it, see above for detailed explanations for the below item 2), Sights and Scenes and item 3) Panoramas.

1) Pictures From Robert Pirsig's Original 1968 trip.
2) Researched Sights and Scenes Along the Travel Route of Book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".
3) Henry Gurr ZMM Route Experiences.
4) Mark Richardson's ZMM Route Journal and Photos.
5) Photos of “The California Trail”, “The Oregon Trail”, & “The South”.
6) Album 360 Degree Panoramas Along the Route of Book "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".
7) Album 360 Degree Panoramas Along “The California Trail” & “The Oregon Trail”.
8) Enjoy Flowers & Redwing Blackbirds Along the ZMM Route.
Summer 2004.
9) John and Sylvia Sutherland Home ca 1969.
10) Our Software & How We Got Started. 4 April 2002.
11) University of South Carolina Aiken Science Building: Energy Saving, Solar Energy & Greenhouse.
12) Etherredge Performing Arts Center & Ruth Patrick Science Education Center at U South Carolina Aiken.
(Other Albums Which May Be Added From Time To Time.)

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