The early morning sky was awash with color as the clouds were sweeping across the sky.
Unfortunately, the wind was coming in off the lake too.. which just makes it feel colder!!!

And it was. Many of the floating icebergs that had broken up over the weekend were now
frozen back into one large mass of ice & snow on the lake. A beautiful contrast of the
winter harshness against the sweeping pastel sky.

And when the sun finally made it’s appearance, it was only out for a brief moment…
before it became engulfed by clouds for the rest of the day. Glad I got up and went out
to play when I did. See what I would have missed if I had waited?

It was another beautiful morning today along the lakefront. Sure, it was a little cold.
But that’s what layers are for. The recent cold spell has allowed the “glaciers” to build up.
So this morning there were a lot of “glaciers” and “icebergs” along the lakefront. As well as
frozen puddles all along the bike trail… some more dangerous than others which I had to
stop and carefully walk across! Too slippery for my skinny little tires!!!

And the more the slushy waves came in crashing, the more the glaciers were growing
and building up… thicker & thicker. The bigger the splash, the thicker the ice layer!

Not only was the lake “frozen” but so were the puddles along the lakefront.
Shiny reflections all over place. And precarious walking in my bike shoes without traction!

I especially liked this section where the “glaciers” were breaking up and turning into round
floating icebergs. I thought it was cool how the outer edges were frozen and a bit “taller” with
a puddle of water inside?! I’m sure there’s some explanation… probably much like the
crashing waves building up the glaciers.

With a forecast of overnight snow tonight, I knew that this morning might be
my “last chance” for a ride until the new snow melts away. Unfortunately, there
was no real sunrise to speak of… just another gray day in Chicago.

And here’s a question… Isn’t a snowfence without snow just a fence?!

And so the icebergs have pretty much melted away. But the cold overnights have frozen parts
of the lake. We now have sheets of ice floating around in the harbors. The swelling waves
have broken them up a bit. But the chilly overnights freeze them back together.

Another beautiful morning with cool winds coming up from the south.
Not typical… but it made the ride home a lot more fun!

And so nice to see that last week’s “icebergs” are now just like a Lake Michigan Slurpee!

This morning there was a beautiful sunrise. Little did we know that it was going to disappear
so quickly into such a gray & gloomy afternoon.

After yesterday’s brief “warm-up”…
a lot of the snow & ice has melted off the bike trail making my morning ride
a lot more fun.. and a lot safer!

The ice mass in Lake Michigan has also begun to melt & break up.
We now have actual icebergs floating along the lakefront.

Yes… actual footprint textures made by the flocks of Canadian Geese that  stroll
along the lakefront crossing the packed pebble paths. You know I love a good texture…
the fact that it was made in such a cool & unusual manner makes it even cooler!!!

After icebergs & geese… it was finally time for a beautiful sunrise!

Sure, it’s Winter. And of course there should be snow. But I’ve been waiting “patiently”
for the roads to be clear of the snow & ice. And this morning they finally were. Too bad
the bike path wasn’t quite so clear. A lot of “black ice” that made riding kind of like
dodging frozen land mines! A fun adventure, but sadly no real sunrise to speak of.

This morning started out surprisingly warmer than I expected.
And I was riding surprisingly faster than I expected.
Until I got to the Beach House and turned around.

It was only then that I realized that I was enjoying a good tailwind. Uh oh.
So the second half was straight into the wind. A little colder with the combination
of a headwind & windchill. Thus, my new word for the day… headwindchill.

Another chilly morning, but a lot less wind. So the windchill felt a lot better. Nice.
But here’s a question… is it just too cold for clouds???

Sure, it was cold this morning. It’s winter. Get used to it.
Somewhere in the vicinity of 19-degrees… colder with the windchill. But it also felt incredible
to be back in the saddle again. It’s been tough through the holidays – so busy with this & that.
My schedule seems to be getting back to normal. And we finally had a clear & sunny morning.
So I had to suck it up, pile on the layers and head on out the door. And it was well worth it…

Besides the sun that was slowly creeping up, I also loved the criss-cross ripples on the water.
A great texture that was ever-changing. Flowing in. Flowing out. Like a grid of ripples.
And then the sun finally made it up… Hello Morning Sunrise!!!

Welcome Back Mr. Sunrise… Welcome Back Mr. Bike… oh, how I’ve missed you both!

This morning was dark, windy and slightly ominous.
It was one of those mornings where the dark clouds were hovering and could have
gone either way. Lucky for me, they dissipated a bit, “collected themselves” and
turned beautiful shades of oranges & pinks.