This report is a selection of pictures with captions to illustrate participation in the first half (Days -1 to +6, July 6th to 13th) of the 2024 #ZMM50thRide commemorating the 50th anniversary of the publication of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (ZMM).
The RPA would welcome additional contributions from participants reflecting on their experience of the ride and what the 50th anniversary of ZMM means to them.
[It is a copy of the original Robert Pirsig Association #ZMM50thRide itinerary with photos (and videos) inserted, initially created by Sevilla King and with additional photos and captions. With so many pictures it may be slow to load first time, until cached local to your device. Note that there are many hundreds of additional photos and videos, and space to upload more in the collection linked at the end.]
Day -1: Saturday July 6th, 2024 – Meet-ups on Arrival in Minneapolis
Rod Orr’s first stop outside the original Pirsig home in St Paul MN.
At the Bang Brewery St Paul Mn, not far from the original Pirsig and Sutherland homes. [Jim Anderson, Rod Orr, Jon Kosmoski, Mark Privratsky, Steve Sappington, Nancy Schunke, Adah Schriever.]
Day 0: Sunday July 7th, 2024 – Pre-Ride Event hosted by Minneapolis Zen Meditation Center (MZMC)
The MZMC resources includes an extensive library. The cabinet in the middle of this wall of book-shelves is the Katagiri archive.
RPA event organiser Mark Privratsky doing the introductions, and later setting out expectations for #ZMM50thRide as a group ride.
MZMC Guiding Teacher, Ted O’Toole, welcoming the RPA and reminding us of Pirsig’s contribution to funding the MZMC building with immediate proceeds from the best-selling Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Ian Glendinning presenting the history and status of the Robert Pirsig Association as well as his own personal Pirsig journey that led to meeting and passing the biographical baton to journalist Mark Richardson. We also presented MZMC with a 50th Anniversary copy of ZMM and a copy of Pirsig’s original 1974 “Zen in Minnesota” brochure, recreated by RPA member Artun Turan.
Mark Richardson presenting a personal account of his two previous re-traces of the #ZMMRide and the Pirsig biographical research that led to his book “Zen and Now – on the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance“. (That water pump really did exist and function.)
Some of the audience present at the MZMC – both members and RPA #ZMM50thRiders.
Local TV station Kare11 filmed and interviewed us. Ian Glendinning’s contribution made it as far as the cutting room floor, but Mark Privratsky’s talking head gave a great account of us in the 90 second evening news item publicising the start of the ride the following morning.
The evening at Lucky’s Bar in the Comfort Inn, Plymouth MN, from where the ride was to depart the following morning. [Nancy Schunke, Steve Sappington, Joe Kim, Amy Privratsky, Wim deHaas, Riejet deHaas, Wendy Richardson, David Matos, Eric Burt, Henry Gurr, Mark Richardson, John Chorne, Mark Privratsky, Rod Orr]
Henry Gurr and Mark Richardson
DAY 1: Monday July 8, 2024
Minneapolis, MN to Oakes, ND
8am Departing from Plymouth, MN Comfort Inn parking lot.
(Ride: ~280 miles. STAY: Oakes, ND motels or camping.)
Gathering in the parking lot of the Comfort Inn, Plymouth MN.
[Eric Burt, Rod Orr, Jon Kosmoski, Ben Boyer, Adah Schriever, Mark Privratsky, Richard Keist, John Chorne, David Talmage, Joe Kim, Henry Gurr]
What real maintenance looks like. David Talmage adjusting and lubing the chain of his Royal Enfield in a quiet, shaded corner of the parking lot.
(Almost) the whole party assembled with the two vintage Honda CB77 Superhawks on the ride from the start. [Steve Sappington, Nancy Schunke, Rod Orr, Wendy Richardson, John Chorne, Mark Privratsky, Eric Burt, David Matos, Adah Schriever, David Talmage, Riejet deHaas, Wim deHaas, Jon Kosmoski, Henry Gurr, Mark Richardson, Richard Keist, Ben Boyer, Ian Glendinning]
Our leader Mark Privratsky gets the #ZMM50thRide under way.
And the whole group follows, the bikes and then the cars, in convoy as a single caravan.
The first rest-stop just before Paynesville. The shaded picnic tables are still there, but the cast-iron water pump is no more.
Jim Anderson pumps the now imaginary pump.
Back on the road again.
Hans House Restaurant, Elbow Lake MN
The rest-stop with shaded picnic-table, near the Camp Buell marker in Milnor ND, is gone and grassed-over by recent commercial development, but traces of the location remain visible. (So recent, it’s still there on Google Maps in 2024 below) [Riejet deHaas, Wim deHass, Steve Sappington, Nancy, Mark Richardson, Jon Kosmoski, David Matos, Eric Burt, Mark Privratsky, David Talmage, Wendy Richardson, John Chorne, Joe Kim, Rod Orr, Ian Glendinning, Adah Schriever, Richard Keist, Henry Gurr.]
GoogleMaps2024
GoogleStreetView2024
The original 1968 father and son image.
Couldn’t resist the pose. (David Matos and Henry Gurr)
First running-repairs with the less-maintained CB77 Superhawk
There’s a whole story to be told by Ben Boyer (pictured), Jon Kosmoski and Jim Anderson of the travails of the two vintage CB77’s that came along for the ride.
Arrival at the the non-profit “Growing Small Towns“, for our Oakes ND Chamber of Commerce event.
7pm: Oakes Chamber of Commerce Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: (510 Main Ave, Oakes, ND 58474)
Welcome and introductions from our host Rebecca Undem founder of Growing Small Towns, for the Oakes Chamber of Commerce event.
Oakes Chamber of Commerce – Reading from ZMM Ch3 “Ghost Stories”
Mark Richardson presents to the Oakes CoC
Henry Gurr talks from the floor.
Henry Gurr – No Sarah Vinke, No Quality, No ZMM
Afterwards at the Angry Beaver Lodge, Oakes ND
(Nancy Schunke)
DAY 2: Tuesday July 9, 2024.
Oakes, ND to Shadehill, (nr Lemmon) SD.
Morning: Short visit to Coleman Museum in Ellendale, ND before main ride.
Arrival in Ellendale ND
The two CB77 Superhawks make it to Ellendale
(Ben Boyer, Jon Kosmoski)
Sign from the old NoDak Café preserved in the Coleman Museum, Ellendale. They even cut a hole in the ceiling to accommodate it.
[Photo: Group assembled around the NoDak sign.]
[RIDE: ~280 miles. STAY: Llewellyn Johns Recreation Area (Camping/RV)/ Shadehill Recreation Area (camping/RV or camping cabins). Dakota Hotel or other accommodations in Lemmon, SD.]
First stop at Ashley, ND. An agricultural kinda town.
Re-assembling after a fuel stop in Mobridge SD.
[Richard Keist, Rod Orr, John Chorne, Ben Boyer, Ian Glendinning]
Shadehill reservoir, camp-ground and cabins near Lemmon SD
The Petrified Forest park in Lemmon SD (Steve Sappington)
Shadehill / Lemmon, SD to Miles City, MT
(RIDE: ~200 miles STAY: Camping, Olive Hotel or other. Olive Hotel of historic significance, but not where the Pirsig party actually stayed.)
The Promised Land? First view onto Miles City in the Yellowstone valley.
[Note as a larger convoy of cars and bikes we pulled into the recreation area car park here on the right. If you pull into the track junction a little earlier – behind on the left – you can stroll onto the higher ground seen on the left here, and get the fuller view the Pirsig party originally saw.]
[Photo: Group at Tiltwerks Brewhouse, Miles City MT.]
DAY 4: Thursday July 11, 2024. Miles City, MT to Laurel, MT.
RIDE: ~160 miles. STAY: Laurel, MT.
[Previous retracings of this day’s ride had involved modern interstates I94 & I90 and their frontage roads. The plan was to attempt to follow Old Hwy10 as researched and suggested by Henry Gurr to be the original route.]
We found Old-Hwy-10 OK, but the first problem was the surface was badly maintained with too much broken gravel and pot-holes for road-bikes to use safely.
Yet still with traces of old yellow center-line markings, that it had once been the main road.
But up ahead, it was in fact closed.
By the time we made it to Laurel MT it was 108F so once Lee Glover had met up with us at our gas-station rendezvous, we found the welcome shade and A/C of the Fiesta Mexicana restaurant which, for those of us not camping, was right next door to our Locomotive Hotel. [Eric Burt, Lee Glover, Nancy Schunke, David Talmage, Ian Glendinning, David Matos, Henry Gurr, Rod Orr, Adah Schriever.]
Some aspects of the route, even way back from leaving Minneapolis, remain contentious. [Henry Gurr, Eric Burt, Steve Sappington, Lee Glover]
RIDE: ~190 miles, Beartooth Mountain Highway & Yellowstone.
STAY: Hillcrest Cottages, otherwise Gardiner, MT area.
[Photos: Cooke City and the magnificent scenery of Beartooth and Yellowstone, from the 108F in Laurel to snow-lined road-sides at the Beartooth summit.]
By the time we reached Mammoth Springs, the weather was breaking.
Some of us made it to Gardiner MT, Hillcrest Cottages.
Could we make a Pirsig couplet fit Monty Pythons’ Philosophers’ Drinking Song? No, we couldn’t, but it was fun trying at The Iron Horse in Gardiner. (Ian Glendinning, Lee Glover, Eric Burt, David Matos, Steve Sappington, Nancy Schunke, Rod Orr)
Henry Gurr engaging with Chris McAvoy who had joined us in Gardiner from Bozeman.
DAY 6: Saturday July 13, 2024. Gardiner, MT to Bozeman, MT
RIDE: ~85 miles. STAY: Bozeman, MT.
11am to 3pm – Montana State University campus visit.
Montana State University Renne Library “All things Pirsig” collection (from 11:00am to 12:30pm)
and later the Museum of the Rockies Pirsig collection (from 1:30pm to 3:00pm)
An opportunity to see Montana Hall where Pirsig and Sarah Vinke worked and taught in their time at MSU (was MSC), just opposite the Library.
Group assembled outside the Renne Library, MSU Bozeman MT
[Steven Hunts (library), Ian Glendinning, Bill Ryder (joined group in Gardiner), Joe Kim, Jim Espeland (library), Lee Glover, Riejet deHaas, Wim deHaas, Henry Gurr, David Matos, Chris McAvoy, Eric Burt, David Talmage, Steve Sappington, Nancy Schunke, Adah Schriever, Rod Orr.]
The commemorative plaque created by the 2009 students of Chas Pinkava’s “Ways of Knowing” class. Originally in Montana Hall, but now mounted in the lobby of the MSU library.
Introductions in the MSU Library Special Collections, Pirsig archives.
[Jodi Allison-Bunnell (library), Adah Schriever, Riejet deHaas, Chris McAvoy, David Matos, Bill Ryder, Wim deHaas, Rod Orr, Eric Burt, Joe Kim, Steve Sappington, Henry Gurr, Ian Glendinning, Jim Espeland (library), David Talmage.]
Hands-on access to the archive collection – this box of DeWeese art relevant to Pirsig.
[Ian Glendinning, Joe Kim, Jan Zauha (library), Melissa Pomeroy (library), Chris McAvoy, Eric Burt, Jodi Allison-Bunnell (library), David Matos.]
This box includes a (very large) typed ZMM manuscript as well as Pirsig’s correspondence with the editor / publishers. [Wim deHaas, Henry Gurr, Chris McAvoy]
With special thanks to all the MSU Library and Special Collections staff, Melissa Pomeroy, Jodi Allison-Burnell and Jan Zauha (already captioned above) and to Valerie Mulliner and Helen Livingston below. As well as hosting us on their weekend, there had clearly been a great deal of preparation gone into our visit. Much appreciated by the RPA.
(And so much more – see the “All Things Pirsig” page and the links to the five indexed / itemised MSU Special Collection archives on that page.)
And so on to the Museum of the Rockies adjacent to the MSU Campus. The museum, given its location, is most famous for its geological and paleontological collections including many whole dinosaur fossil skeletons as their main visitor attractions, but we were hosted by the Montana Cultural Collection curator Michael Fox (in the red shirt).
As promised, we saw Pirsig’s lathe and workbench in the large cultural items collection. [Wim deHaas, Michael Fox (curator), Ian Glendinning, Chris McAvoy, Rod Orr, Eric Burt, David Matos, David Talmage, Joe Kim.]
Nameplate detail from the lathe.
In addition to the lathe and bench, one set of taps and dies remains on the bench.
Although we had been warned to expect to see only the lathe, curator Michael Fox also took us to the small cultural items store where by chance we came across the collection of smaller Pirsig workshop tools awaiting processing and cataloguing.
The small tools collection included the Machine Shop Practice manual.
All good things must come to an end.
Farewell Ian Glendinning from Henry Gurr.
After 3pm – Ride to DeWeese home in Cottonwood Canyon.
Watch this space.
END OF PART 1
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[Not included above, the photo collection of every participant individually with their ride, holding their travelling copy(ies) of ZMM.]
These and many more photos and videos from Part 1 – Minneapolis to Bozeman in our Google Drive. Acknowledgements to all the photographers. Mark Richardson’s folder contains raw video of all the presentations, suitable for transcripts if maybe not viewing. If you have more to share contact us and we can provide an upload folder for you.
The full story of PART 2 to follow, when David Matos and Henry Gurr are returned and recovered.
Part 2 started inauspiciously when several of the party had contracted Covid, with two particularly incapacitated and unable to continue as planned. We wish them well. With Richard Keist having gone ahead to experience the bends of Lolo Pass at his own speed, that left only Henry and David to complete Part 2 per plan.
Good news. Whilst only David and Henry made it to the end, Steve and Nancy went out from their home in California to meet them at Caspar / Mendocino – the real scene of the dramatic climax in the ZMM narrative, with typical California sunshine in place of the original dark and foggy scene.
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Many thanks go to Ian Glendinning for his wonderful series of Photos & Commentary:
On This RPA Page Ian =>
…“Tells The Full Story Of The July 2024 ZMM Ride From Minneapolis, MN to Bozeman, MT.”
AND AN ESPECIAL THANKS
…For Ian’s taking the time to give the names of the persons in the photos!
Overall, just GREAT!!!
…We ZMM Enthusiasts are soooo appreciative!!
Sincerely Henry Gurr
Sorry to have missed this ride ( bike stolen in KC) and especially, not getting to know you guys! The photos really highlight the camaraderie there. Hope next year.
Tony Penwarden NZ.
Hi Tony, thanks for the feedback.
We heard about your “problem” making it to the ride this time, sad to hear. You missed some fun with the group.
Another time. It’s unlikely the RPA will be organising a group ride again for a few years, but one thing planned before next year is a package to assist any individuals and groups to organise their own re-trace of the route at any time 🙂
Regards
Ian
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