Dalai Lama and 30,000 Miles

The Dalai Lama hasn’t been to Minnesota for many years, and today was his return visit. My wife bought me a ticket, and I was happy to go with her. He is a great speaker and enjoyable to listen to. I love his sense of humor. This was the third time I’ve seen him speak. The first was at Rutgers University in 2005.

I wanted to ride my Super9 (moped) so I could get easy (free) parking nearby. I was disappointed when I read the University of Minnesota changed their policy and now forbids moped parking at bicycle racks which is legal in the rest of Minnesota.

It looked like rain, so I took my SV650 instead. I tried to park near Mariucci Arena (hockey), but the first lot wouldn’t take motorcycles. The second didn’t like them either, but I was able to park anyway.

I made it through the security check and inside, and I eventually found my wife who was there since 6:30am!

A short intro to his speech here. The U of M gave him an honorary degree before his speech. His talk centered around cultivating warm-heartedness and how this is lacking in the current education system. He also talked about religious harmony. He was quite funny making fun of democrats and republicans, and his own bald head which is called a “shiny hat”.  There were lots of high-end video cameras around, so there will probably be a video online at some point.

After the talk, the rain finally stopped. normally use the trip meter (as a gas gauge). A few weeks ago it was getting close to 30,000, so I checked today. The odometer on my SV650 said 29,999 miles! I made a bee-line for the Mississippi River which was only a few blocks away.

I wanted to roll over into 30,000 along the banks of the mighty Mississippi.

The river has brought me lots of great riding from the bluffs in south eastern Minnesota and South Western Wisconsin to the great adventure my wife and I had last summer. My first Ural ride was along the Mississippi. It’s even great in the winter.

The roads around the river in Minneapolis and St. Paul are some of my favorites to ride for a quick “fix”.

Great scenery and a quick escape away from the city.

Here’s to another 30,000 on my SV!

 

PS: Yes, for the observant, there is a bag missing on the right side of the bike. I misplaced the key for that bag, so the case is sitting in the garage until I find the key. :)