Overnight, the temperatures dropped over twenty degrees, the clouds moved in & the wind came with it!!! It was a WONDERFUL TAILWIND… for the first half riding south towards the City. The ride back… a bit more of a challenge.

On a separate note… it doesn’t look so good for Friday Morning Swim Club. As I pedaled past Montrose Harbor this morning on my way home, there were several police cars at the harbor with their blue lights flashing. This comes a week after there was an article in the Chicago SunTimes expressing safety concerns & park district restrictions. Hopefully things will get all worked out & the splashin’ Friday fun will continue!

Click here to read the Chicago SunTimes article.

You know it’s gonna be another hot day when it doesn’t cool down at all overnight! This morning was still just as hot & humid as it was last night… quite the sweaty ride this morning!!! But if you look closely, the huge dragonflies are loving it along the lakefront… hopefully taking out & eating some of those nasty black sand flies!!!

Early morning beauty along the lakefront yet again…
it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful these morning rides can be!!!

Good clouds. Good wind. Good drama. Not quite sure if the the sun would be able to work its way through the cloud-cover or not?! But in the end, it finally peeked through the clouds giving us some beautifully golden sunrise moments.

We started the morning with a beautiful glow… and a lot of sunrise potential. But then the sun “struggled” to work it’s way through a low-hanging marine layer of hazy fog. Eventually it made its way through to give us some shimmering reflections!

Another beautiful morning along the lakefront. Nary a cloud in the sky… quiet & cooler than expected this morning. Great colors, great moments, great bike ride!

Back in the saddle again!!!… thanks to Village Cycle Center in Old Town for fixing my handlebars yesterday! So glad I could get out to pedal into the wind this morning with waves crashing all around… with some pretty dramatic sunrise colors & drama!!!

But then there’s this?! I “felt” this problem yesterday as I was riding… felt some swiveling movement as I was shifting, braking & climbing hills on my bike. Pretty sure it’s NOT supposed to do this? So my “trusted stead” is currently at the bike shop being fixed.

I asked the bike guy if this is a “normal” thing as I’ve always presumed handlebars were metal and shouldn’t swivel like this. But now it feels kinda like “crusty foam” everywhere below the brake hoods. He said handlebars are an “alloy”… as if great clears it up?! Nope. But as long as he fixes it quick…

Few more clouds & a bit more drama. Sure, clear skies are fun… but I definitely prefer some cloud-cover for the added sunrise drama. Dark clouds, bright colors & streams of sunbeams breaking through. Perfection.

After a beautifully “pink & purple” pastel start to the morning, the sun came out briefly to give us some stunning reflections. But then the clouds took over as a morning rain was on its way towards us.