Since 2002, I have found myself on a cool Sunday morning each May looking at exactly what you see in the picture above.
Today was the annual Bike The Drive event in Chicago. Becky and I left the house at 4:45 this morning to join the festivities. We met up with Glenn and Lauren at the starting line.

The ride started on Balbo just east of Columbus, and riders had a choice of doing the longer North leg or shorter South trek. The entire route is about 30 miles and we were planning on doing the whole thing, but my rear tire was heading downhill (in the figurative sense) and we decided to end our ride after the first section. Out total distance was almost 18 miles, which took us from Grant Park to Bryn Mawr (where Becky made a call on her banana phone) and back to the start. There was a pancake breakfast in the park, which was a nice ending to the event.

The weather cooperated perfectly: very little wind, few clouds, and a lot of sunshine.
And now that Becky has the cycling bug, we’re off to look for a new bike for her.