After the “brunch food fest” yesterday, I just “had” to go for another sunrise bike ride
this morning. No excuses. Did a little damage at the sweets table… time to pay the piper!
And I’m glad I did… the morning started out with a patch of clouds low on the horizon.
But as the sunrise began to appear, the clouds had moved over enough to converge
at just the right time. Another beautiful morning.

This morning was a little gray & gloomy… with a large cloud mass coming in to cover the sky.
I wasn’t sure that we were even going to get to see the sunrise or not?!

But then… it finally popped up just above the low-lying cloud cover.

Luckily, I was treated to a beautiful sunrise – even if it was for a short moment
before the sun disappeared behind the “other” large cloud blowing in!

Which, now don’t get me wrong, was pretty darn beautiful in and of itself!

Well, we never quite got the 80-degree day we were “promised” yesterday?!
It was still a bit chilly this morning with a cold, damp breeze blowing in off the lake.
Beautiful & breezy… still beautiful though.

And I’m hoping that it warms up a bit today… as I’m planning a late afternoon bike ride
up to the Chicago Botanic Garden today. We’ve had to cancel a couple times for weather
& schedule reasons. Hoping that today is finally a great kick-off ride!

After the crashing waves and the gusty wind yesterday,
this morning was silently golden as the sun crested over the horizon.
The wind was gone… leaving behind beautifully clear skies!

Okay… so it may look calm & serene. But it was really gusty & windy this morning. And cold.
The waves were crashing onto the shore and the sound was deafening. But kinda cool to hear!

And then the sun finally made it over the horizon… and peeked out greet the day!

But then… what’s up with that big cloud coming in??? Uh ho…

With just a sliver of sun this morning, it was also back to layers of clothing. It was
so cold out that it made you shiver! The wind was blowing, the waves were crashing
and there was this crazy frozen rain hitting me in the face! Hail?… really???
I could hear it hitting my jacket as I was headed south with the wind at my back. But,
when I turned around, into the wind it was like frozen pins & needles hitting my face!

What happened to our week of summer fun & 80-degree days?! I want them back.

This week has been unbelievable. Unseasonably warm weather with temps in the 80′s
almost every day! And beautiful sunrises to boot. It’s been so great pedaling this week
and being able to wear fewer layers than I should be for mid-March! Today was no exception
as the light cloud cover was the perfect canvas for some beautiful morning color.

Beautiful color playing across the clouds… beautiful.
And then the sun finally crested the horizon… even more beautiful.

And then, just when I thought that the sunrise couldn’t get any better, and had already
hopped back onto my bike to pedal home… one quick glance over my right shoulder and
I saw this wonderful view of a harbor still void of boats.

Almost home, and another glance over the same shoulder…
and I saw another beautiful view that I couldn’t resist stopping to catch on my camera!

All in all… not too shabby for a mid-March morning, huh?!

This morning was very dark. When I stepped out on my back porch to check the weather,
I actually stopped for a second questioning if it was even the right time?! So dark…

But then the sky lightened up a bit…
and the clouds kind of looked like an odd “explosion” emanating from the horizon?!
A dark splash of cloud with tiny bits of color on each side. Did I mention “tiny” bits of color?!

And the whole time I just kept thinking…
“If that darn cloud would move just a few feet over,
we would get a beautiful splash of color on that big cloud!”                                        No dice.

It’s still quite warm in Chicago… reaching into the 80′s and we’re loving it!
And this morning was another beautiful day. With one dark cloud looming over
the horizon, I knew that there was great potential for a great sunrise!

And as the sun continued to rise, the colors began to pop! And I loved how the sky’s color
began to reflect on the gentle waves. But the colors were stunning & ever-changing…
even it was “just” under that one big cloud!

And then the sun finally made its way over the horizon. Ready to greet the day.

Then it was time for me to get back on the bike… pedal on… and finish my morning ride.
Today’s going to be a “BIG” day!!!

The early morning sky was a beautiful shade of blue… with that one big blue cloud!
I was hoping for the sky to transform into some beautiful sunrise colors. Instead, it all
kind of fizzled out into patches of pastel colors.