This picture is from last year. It should be looking like this around here this time of year, but conditions have not materialized yet. These ice formations are one of my favorite things about winter in the midwest by Lake Michigan.

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We used this picture for our holiday cards this year. It's from our trip through the Black Hills of South Dakota via the Mickelson Trail. It was probably the most fun we've had on a family bike trip yet. More than anything it was a big adventure, from scorching heat to thunderstorms and floods, and even some tame stretches of weather. Like any trip where one is with the family every minute of every day for a couple of weeks, we had our highs and lows. But we made it and we learned a lot along the way.

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I got to spend a couple of hours along the lakefront last week during a big storm. Conditions weren't optimal for photography with 30mph sustained winds and icy snow. I was there more for the experience than the photography, but I couldn't resist taking some pictures. Watching the waves exploding off of the walls along the edge of the lake was really something else. You don't want to be in wrong place at the wrong time with those waves. Fortunately I only got moderately wet.

Tags:   wave iphone big wave chicago lakefront winter cycling storm bike

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One of my favorite winter shots from last year that I never got around to posting. I never tire of the endlessly changing ice formations when it gets really cold by the lake. It looks like we have some cold weather coming up, so I am very excited!

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This is the most treacherous part of the lakefront bicycle path in Chicago. But it can be very pretty too, particularly when there is fog and ice.

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