Another dark morning with good sunrise potential. Not nearly as many clouds as “spectacular”…
but more than “remnants.” I was happy to be somewhere in the middle.

Around Belmont Harbor, the colors were changing quickly.At one end, it was pinks & lavenders… when I got around to the side, it had already changed to golden oranges!

As always, the sun continued to rise.
And as always, I couldn’t stop taking pictures. Gotta love a good sunrise!!!

After the colorful sunrise, there was strong sunshine… and a groovy shadow!!!

After yesterday’s SPECTACULAR sunrise,
the clouds this morning looked a bit like REMNANTS from yesterday’s sky.

This morning was a wonderful ride.
Sure, I was tired when the alarm went off. And dragging a bit getting ready.
It was a late night after teaching my class. But once I was on the bike & pedaling, it felt great.
And the perfect morning for some sunrise fun on Chicago’s Navy Pier.

Then when the sun gave me a wonderful sky-show, I was energized and forgot that I only had a couple hours of sleep. Who needs sleep when the sunrise is this SPECTACULAR?!!! And it just kept getting better!!!

And one final parting shot… with a little sunrise serenity!

After a busy Fourth of July weekend, it felt great to get home and go for a quiet ride along the lakefront this morning.

Very few people out on the bike path this morning. Maybe still feeling the “effects” from the holiday? Great for me, but they all missed a pretty nice sunrise… at least until the clouds rolled in.

Early morning with one big, dark looming cloud…

And a few miles later as the clouds dissipated a bit and the color started to break through.

After three weeks in Dover, it felt great to get back on my “real” bike for another sunrise bike ride along Lake Michigan. I’ve missed the Lake… and I’ve missed my morning sunrise routine. I tried to squeeze it in while I was in Dover, but it just wasn’t quite the same. And this morning had a dramatic sunrise to kick it off my triumphant return to the lakefront bike trail.

As the sun finally made it over the horizon, the was a small “window of opportunity” for the sun to peek out from under the clouds. Luckily it did… and we had a brilliant & colorful sunrise!

As the sun continued to rise, the clouds created a beautiful, textured canvas for the morning colors to bounce of off. A brilliant cloudscape along the lakefront.

The the days of the concerts, it was tough to find the time or the energy to get up for my morning bike rides. We were working about 18 hours a day, outside, on our feet the entire time. I’d like to think I have good stamina, but when we finally made it back to the hotel, I was done. I needed sleep… and somehow a couple hours of sleep won out over another morning sunrise.

But now that the concerts are over, and our daily schedule is getting back to normal. I’m getting back into my morning routine. And it felt great today to return to Port Mahon for another stunning sunrise over Delaware Bay. An early start added some drama in the darkness as the moon was still hanging out… being framed by the tree!

And then the sun finally popped over the horizon…

And some of you may know that I have an odd fascination with roadkill. I have quite the collection of photos from years of biking. Always intrigued by the “circle of life” and how some poor decisions can have fatal results. The one I found this morning made me stop in my tracks. First I thought it was a large frog, but then upon further inspection… this Barbie didn’t have a good experience down at Port Mahon!!!

This morning I took a ride to Woodland Beach. Ironic as the festival venue at Dover Downs is referred to as “The Woodlands.” Go figure… Started out a little earlier. A little darker, to get a little further.

One of the benefits of an early morning ride… is an early morning dip in the water. The sand here at Woodlands Beach is cleaner than the others, so I felt it was the perfect chance to go in for a quick dip. The water was surprisingly not as cold as I expected… and it was quite refreshing before my ride back to the hotel.