Talk:Olive Hotel

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Montana

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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

This is the hotel where Robert Pirsig, his son Chris and travelling companions John and Sylvia Sutherland stayed on 10th July 1968 on the motorcycle trip that was immortalised in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, published in 1974. A book ever more relevant to our human relationship with technology in the 21st Century.

(Worth adding to the main page? Main reference is the book itself, but other on-line references are available.) Psybertron (talk) 08:37, 8 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I did a search on the book and it only mentions a hotel in Miles City, not the specific one. The 50th ride mentions the hotel, but not that he stayed there in 68. I'm not finding anything concrete that this is the place he stayed. It would be a great addition to the article. Maybe someone else will have luck. Tbennert (talk) 03:39, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Fascinating. Mostly it is in private correspondence with the author, questions adding detail to the book.

The oldest such reference is on Henry Gurr's web-site here: http://venturearete.org/ResearchProjects/ProfessorGurr/gallery/HsgexperienceZmmRoute/104_0495_IMG?full=1

(I will ask Henry what he considers the original evidence, but I'm pretty sure it will be private correspondence.)

Can also check "Guidebook to Zen and the Art of MM" by DiSanto and Steele - pretty sure it will confirm.

And I'm pretty certain it's verified by journalist Mark Richardson in his book Zen and Now.

(Lots of circumstantial evidence too - when John Sutherland is fooling about in the book on the old shiny wooden floors.)

I don't believe there is much doubt :-) 50.144.157.2 (talk) 16:21, 14 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Stop Press - I was wrong.

It was the prime candidate in the early research. It was Mark Richardson's research for Zen and Now that confirmed it wasn't, it was most likely the Parkview Motel according to Bill of Bill's Cycle Shop. 50.144.157.2 (talk) 22:14, 14 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]