I was prepared to bemoan how awful Chicago is in the winter, but here we are in early January and it’s consistently above freezing during the day, only down in the 20’s at night, and the roads are dry. I’ve certainly had to bundle up to go on rides, but I haven’t had to go full winter armor yet with the balaclava and insulated bike boots.
I’m not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing. It certainly makes it easier to get in miles on the bike, but it does make me wonder if this is what climate change has in store for us. Without the lake freezing over, or any snow or ice cover, it has real effects on the water table in the region. It only takes a few odd warm days for plants to get confused and bloom too early.