Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

The narrator mentions that every Chautauqua should have a list of valuable things to remember and that can be kept in a safe place. The narrator’s list of important items was created because he kept forgetting items for motorcycle trips. The list he gives is for the reader’s next motorcycle trip across the Dakotas and is comprised of four parts: Clothing, Personal Stuff, Cooking and Camping Gear, and Motorcycle Stuff.

Realizing that the rest of the group will probably sleep all day if he lets them, the narrator proceeds to wake everyone up, noting that the weather is cold, somewhere in the 40s. Though Chris has dressed in warm clothing, the narrator admits that the weather is bracing, and that if the weather was any better, the ride would actually be peaceful. He then talks about caring for his gloves and motorcycle. Motorcycle maintenance is inherently related to caring. The better a person cares for this personality, the longer it lives. The more the bike is cared for, the more a motorcycle ends up resembling a long-lasting friend as opposed to a grumpy invalid.

Arriving at Ellendale, the narrator finds that everyone is annoyed at him for having been awakened so early and made to ride in the freezing cold.