The Giant Color Photograph of Beartooth Highway Is Still There!
“ … [we enter a restaurant] where we see on the walls huge photographs of the route we will take up.
Left Front of Red Lodge Café’, Red Lodge MT Due to too much illumination from the window, my first photographs of this Beartooth Pass framed photo were completely washed out. Later I showed the restaurant owner the above ZMM passage. He was very interested in ZMM, and even purchased one of my ZMM copies. Understanding my photograph problem, he offered to change the window blinds for a better photo seen above. In my photograph (of the giant photograph) you will see "light strips" caused by the “back-lighting” of four vertical fluorescent lamps. You will have to "click on this photo to get the largest view, then very closely study this photograph until you make out: 1) At left, see two levels of road cuts. Notice there is NO guard rail! 2) At lower right, see a loop switchback. 3) The major twisty white line is Rock Creek. 4) Starting at left and continuing nearly straight down to beyond the center of the photo, see the wider white line through the trees. This is the side stream an example of which you will see in photos next. New Topic conderning a slight reality variance from the ZMM Book: Although there many large mountain scenery paintings in this restaurant, there was only one large color scenery photograph of the BT Highway. This photograph was taken by Tom Egenes owner of Flashs Photography Store on the other side of Main Street from the restaurant, where copies may be obtained. (Continued next)
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(Photo = 105-0599 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 126n 5553ft)

This Historic Giant Color Photograph Shows Beartooth Highway Soon After Completion
“ And up and up, over one of the highest paved roads in the world. I feel some anxiety about this, which I realize is irrational and try to get rid of by talking about the road to the others. There’s no way to fall off. No danger to the motorcycle.“
Red Lodge Café’, Red Lodge MT. Evidently, as you will notice in the photo, the Beartooth Highway originally was un paved and had no guardrail!! So the Narrator having just viewed the photograph, had much more reason for fright than he let on. This copy of the original photograph, “Beartooth Highway Soon After Completion”, is presented here with the kind assistance and permission of Tom Egenes. owner of Flashs’ Photography Store, 21 South Broadway, ’, Red Lodge MT. Mr. Egenes took this photograph perhaps as long ago as 1945. The gents whom I interviewed, remember this photo as being in the Café’ ever since that date. Copies of this photo may be obtained Flashes, which is directly opposite the Red Lodge Café’.
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(Photo by TomEgenes ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = NA)

Opposite a Small Mountain Melt-water Stream There Is a Frightful Place To Look Way -- Way – Down! Approximately Fifth Tier, Beartooth Highway MT “[ There’s no way to fall off. No danger to the motorcycle.] Just a memory of places where you could throw a stone and it would drop thousands of feet before coming to rest and somehow associating that stone with the cycle and rider. “ Beartooth Highway MT In this photo, standing on one tier, you can discern the valley floor and two other tiers way down. Although being here is terror-ific, there is a doubled-heavy guard-rail that’s nearly continuous, and well maintained. This will not allow that which fear suggests: i.e. Going over the edge! To see a topo map of the highway, click on the WayPt number below. Several later WayPts will also “hot linked”. Look for the “blue” number. Once the topo comes up, you may ask for different scales of topos. You may select sizes of view (Sm, Med, Lg) at the same scale. I suggest Lg. I have checked this with Windows Computers. Plz send email re how well this works on other computers/software. I have noticed that the map server sometimes gives a location somewhat different from my GPS. (Continued next.)
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(Photo = 106-0610 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 133w )

Red Lodge Café’, Left Interior View
“When coffee is finished …. ” Red Lodge MT Be sure to study the antique Victorian ceiling and unique display case on the wall. Also 360 degree photo panorama of this restaurant interior will be posted to my album of panoramas in ZMMquality.org/gallery as soon as possible. (Continued from topic of viewing topo maps mentioned in previous caption.) EasyGPS and ExpertGPS are two very nice software applications. In either of these two apps, you may easily view this same WayPt = 133 in several other Web Map Servers. When the app comes up, at top of screen ask for "Waypoint, then New". Then type into spaces numbers for my GPS latitude 45.02991 and longitude -109.4183 numbers, with minus sign. These programs can now show previous photo WayPt = 133 on several other map servers. To do this, at top of Easy GPS screen, ask for “Waypoint, then View Waypoint On Line”. Nice!! Try it you will be amazed!! I have checked this with Windows Computers. Plz send email re how well this works on other computers/software. (This GPS & WebMap information will eventually be improved and moved to a special webpage.)
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(Photo = 105-0592 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 126n)

Back On the Street of Red Lodge
“ …. we put on the heavy clothing, repack and soon have traveled to …. “
Red Lodge MT View half way uphill from the Court House to the Restaurant. The restaurant is on the left and on the oppose side of street is the photography shop and the candy shop. Although the mountain seen in this view seems dominate in Red Lodge, it dropped completely out of my awareness as I drove further South. Is this because as one gets nearer to the base of the mountain, it starts to be “just a big hill” partly obscured by the town’s trees? Or is this because “both-sides-of-a-valley” is the next prominent perception? Either way “the mountain” ceased to attract my attention. In fact, all the time I was driving from Laurel towards Red Lodge and even through Red Lodge, I was not very much aware of being in a valley. This quite different from my expectations, in my previous readings of ZMM. In these readings I had always visualized the quite narrow “V-Shaped” Valleys” I have seen in the rugged mountains of West Virginia. In this state, the valley towns are “between-walls”. The town is just: 1) a-creek 2) highway and 3) a-single-line-of-houses!
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(Photo = 105-0591 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 126q)

The the Non Involved ZMM Traveler Will Not Discover the Narrators Meltwater Stream Until Rock Creek Park. Note Dry Grass Covered Bluff In Distance Left, Signifying the East Edge of the Valley.
“ .... and soon have traveled to …. “
Just North of Downtown Red Lodge, MT. Here at second large city park, this huge rushing mountain stream runs immediately by the highway. But even at Red Lodge, the water is most certainly “older” than an hour! In 2002, by defect of my memory to do it, I did not get my stream photograph here. No problem, since I expected to get good shots of the stream & canyon ahead. But as before Red Lodge, good views of the stream eluded me. And somehow I missed the one good place I found in 2006 (2nd next photo). As before Red Lodge, the stream was generally not close enough to directly perceive (or photograph from road) until we entered the U shaped glacial valley. And by then the road was way up the canyon wall and too far away to properly illustrate the above passage.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0481 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 127k)

The Valley Is Getting Narrower. The Line of Trees at Left Is the only Indicator of the Stream. View South.
Beartooth Highway MT
My notes say: “Now Getting Into the Valley Entrance. Cloudy and colder.” There is no ZMM passage here, because the Narrator leaves out any mention of the scenery prior to the first mountain road switch-backs. Despite this, I thought you should see this and the next two photos of the scenery on the way there. Remember this “valley size” and contrast with that of the valley in the next photo. Also begin to study and remember how the line of trees in an otherwise grassy expanse is the indicator of a major stream, as you see here.
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(Photo = 106-0602c ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 128k)

A Mid September 2006 View of Entering Rock Creek Canyon.
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, MT.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0491 ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 128m)

A Mid September 2006 View of Rock Creek and Bluffs.
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, MT.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0493 ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 128p)

A Mid September 2006 View Deeper Into Rock Creek Canyon.
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, MT.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0495 ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 128n)

Along the Road Ahead, the Valley Is Changing To a Canyon. Even More Pine Trees Now In Addition To the Broad Leaf’s Along the Stream. View Southwest
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Beartooth Highway MTThe valley is getting even narrower yet. The light green of the broad leaf trees along the stream, at left, is just discernable through the darker green of the pines. The roadblock signifies one lane traffic ahead for highway repair. I use the stop opportunity to take this photograph of the road ahead (Southwest). Remember this “valley size” and contrast with that of next photo, looking back at the road just traveled. After I resumed motion, my notes say: “[cross] mountain stream -- lower gear -- ears pop.”
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(Photo = 106-0604c ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 129w)

A View Back Towards Red Lodge. We See the Broad Leaf’s Along the Stream and Fire Damage in Pine Trees at Left. View Northeast
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Beartooth Highway MT Its almost my turn at the “roadblock”. I Don’t have time even to walk far enough to keep my car out of the photo. This is the road we just came up.. The fire damage must be part of the major 1988 Yellowstone National Park fire. This also will be seen in my later photos. You can see why my notes said, [car shifts to] lower gear. The ZMM book’s main focus in every chapter, is the Chautauqua Lecture. Consequently, much of the passing landscape remains unmentioned. No passing scenery, no matter how spectacular or interesting is “written about” unless it “poetically amplifies” the lectures ahead or just passed. Otherwise, what was (is) great scenery had to be bypassed by author Pirsig, with no comment, no descriptions, nor indication of its presence. Such is the case for the road from Red Lodge to the mountain switch-backs. Similar requirements constrain me, in my choice of photographs to be included in this Gallery. But sometimes, even if there is no applicable ZMM passage as is the case at this WayPt, I opt to show additional photos to fill in the gaps in the travel scenery.
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(Photo = 106-0605c ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 129k)

An Even Narrower and Deeper and U-shaped Glacial Valley Is Now Seen. Canyon Walls Are Steep In This Up Stream. View South
[ZMM passage repeat] “The sun is bright and hot when we’re in it, but when we pass under trees along the road, it’s suddenly cold.” Beartooth Highway MT U-shaped valleys are caused by the grinding action of Glacier Ice. If a narrow valley is geologically “new” and primarily carved out by water of a stream, it is generally V-shaped. If it is a very old valley, it is in general, wide and relatively flat. This is the only place where I recall finding “over the highway shade”. Here, shade was behind me but only later in the day would it cover the highway. Properly done, you should see a photo of this shade. However, this is one of several places where I thought I had taken a photo, but it was not in the camera when I got back. What happened? At certain WayPt’s, more that one photo is needed to show the scenery. I have a choice: a) 360 degree panorama. b) Two or three side by side. or c) One forward + one rear. At this location I again took a second photo to the rear, really Northwest, shown next.
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(Photo = 106-0606 ...... ZMM Page = 105 ...... WayPt = 130w)

Dense Close-up Trees Partly Obscure the Opposite Side of the Valley. Downstream Northwest View,
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Beartooth Highway MT at WayPt 139. Same Location as Previous Photo. Here we can see some of the shade trees and some of the valley’s West side. It was not possible a to get a good shot “down valley”, nor to get a good shot of the road just traveled up this point.
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(Photo = 106-0607 ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 130k)

From the Third Tier Up We Can See Two More Tiers
“ ….. and [we] have soon traveled to the first of many switchback turns across the face of the mountain” Approximately Third Tier Up, Beartooth Highway MT My research notes say: “Altitude 7964 -- traveling as is true for traveling my life -- this moment -- I will not be back ever again -- this moment -- these moments -- way way down -- the U-shape valley and stream ”
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(Photo = 106-0608 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 131w)

Higher Up, the Road Heads in to a Deep Cut Made by a Melt Water Stream, Then Abruptly Turns Right
“The asphalt of the road is much wider and safer than it occurred in memory. On a cycle you have all sorts of extra room. John and Sylvia take the hairpin turns up ahead and then come back above us, facing us, and have smiles. Soon we take the turn and see their backs again. Then another turn for them and we meet them again, laughing. It’s so hard when contemplated in advance, and so easy when you do it.”Approximately Fifth Tier Up, Beartooth Highway MT The highway seen here heads into a sharp right turn and continues up, The road is the gray line up and off the photo to the right. Now look carefully higher up. That’s the highway “on the way back” after going around the mountain, out of view right, completed a switchback (next photo), and then came back around the mountain again! By this time I have lost track of the number of tiers and switchbacks.Click on the WayPt Number to view topo map. When done minimize the Topo Map Browser screen. You will be able to use this. Map through WayPt = 136.
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(Photo = 106-0609 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 132w w)

Next Switchback.Up. East View
“The broad-leafed trees are all gone. Only small pines are left. Many of these have twisted and stunted shapes. “
I believe this is the next switch back, 12 minutes and one mile after the previous photo. This is the first patch show I saw. Note conditions that 1) hold the snow, and 2) reduce melting: Recessed corner to catch drifts. Northern slope for reduced heat from sun. .. Because it had just started rain hard, this photo was taken by leaning out the window from the drivers seat. The pavement is shiny-wet. You can see the white of the smaller snow patch reflected in the darker pavement left lane. All the rain drops on the camera lens occurred in just the few seconds my camera was just at the window edge. This ZMM passage actually comes after the ZMM rest area, next photo.
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(Photo = 106-0612 ...... ZMM Page = 110 ...... WayPt = 134 w)

Be Sure to Stop at This Rest Area for the Spectacular Views.!!.
“At a turnout on the road we stop, take some record photographs to show we have been here .… “ Roadside Rest Area,
Beartooth Highway, MT. Notice how my pictures here show deep dark clouds and no green, This contrasts with two of Robert Pirsig’s 1968 Picture at this same location. (Click link below.) In his “record photographs“ mentioned in the passage above, you will see these same mountains in the distance. Pirsig’s first picture shows the brilliant sun light, dark sharp shadows, and light green on the distant mountains. But Pirsig’s photographic film could not handle the harsh contrast. So the both the sky and the pavement are washed-out white, and do not show the dark black blue sky, or even the pure blue sky as is seen in his first three photos. An overcast haze must have moved in for his 2nd mountain photo. There are no shadows and less eye squinting. .. The ZMM Narrator generally avoids any “tourist” emphasis. For example the above curt admission to the existence of these photos: They are just for the “record“. From this and other ZMM passages, I interpret that the ZMM Narrator would have us take the extra time, to really, fully experience the vast reality of these mountains at all levels of connecting, participating (my words). Do camping, mountain climbing, etc. Learn to practice being there, being fully aware. Most tourist locations, in responding to the typical “primary America“ visitor, do not help in this vital learning. And even worse, typical touristy attractions end up promoting everything opposite. Note; This is the only roadside rest area along this stretch of road. Next facilities are at Cooke City, MT. Click here for Robert Pirsig’s 1968 Pictures at this location.
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(Photo = 106-0613 ...... ZMM Page = 110 ...... WayPt = 135`|e|' 9234ft)