Hard to believe that it’s the middle of December and the mornings are still incredible.
Not that I’m complaining or anything… but it just feels weird. Then again, Winter
doesn’t really start until a week from Friday?!

Finally some sun. And the sunrise I’ve been waiting for.
It started out cold & dark, but ended on a beautiful note!
For the first time, the puddles along side of the bike trail were noticeably frozen over.
I was all layered up… and ready to roll.

And if all goes well, I’m pushing for a big mileage milestone tomorrow!!!

Chilly. Cold. And oddly all the same color?!
It was actually kind of intriguing when the sky and the water were the same color
and the horizon line pretty much disappeared?! Today was Monochromatic Monday!

Like most great sunrises, the morning started out gray with a lot of clouds.
I knew it would go one way or the other. And it was looking better & better…

C’mon, it looks like some beautiful Impressionist painting, right?! Could you think
of a better way to start the morning than watching this unfold before your very eyes!

Luckily, the sun won out. And it turned the clouded sky all brilliant shades of orange!

But then all too soon, the color fizzled out… and it was back to gray!

After yesterday’s surprisingly warm weather, I was kind of surprised
by the early morning chill in the air. Still warmer than most December days..
and I’ll take it.

And I especially loved it when the sun came up to just the right place and lit up the clouds
with a little sparkly splendor!

Not the most beautiful of mornings. Dark, gray & gloomy… and unseasonably warm.
But it is December. Which means I have now ridden my bike during every month of 2012.
Yeah me!

Two weeks of “making holiday magic” down at Winter WonderFest has really
been cutting into my biking time! We’re starting the days too early in the morning
for me to squeeze in my morning ride… plus, to be quiet honest, I’ve been worn out
& my legs are sore from working on hard concrete floors all day. But today is the last
day to prep for the snowy holiday show, and the weather was beautiful this morning…
so I sucked it up and “forced myself” to get up a but earlier and pedal.
And it felt great to be back on track!

Along the way, I also found a new sculpture in the park that look especially great with the
sun coming up behind it. You know how I love a good morning silhouette!

The sculpture is part of a large sculpture exhibit that has been popping up along the lakefront
all summer long. Part of the Chicago Sculpture International Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition
sponsored by the Chicago Park District. I thought I had seen most of them, but this one
was “new” to me this morning. It is by Boyan Marinov and it’s titled “Confluence.”

Near the end of my ride, the sun finally made it up for the traditional sunrise!
So glad I “forced myself” out this morning… even though I had to rush down to Navy Pier!!!

The morning sky was ablaze in rosy splendor as I drove down to Navy Pier to kick-off
the start of “making the holidays happen” down at Winter WonderFest.

Another beautiful start to another beautiful day.