Lenticular clouds can form when stable moist air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains. The clouds have been mistaken for UFOs because they often have a characteristic lens appearance and smooth saucer-like shape.
In the top photo, elk graze in the foreground as a lenticular cloud forms over Twin Sisters Mountain. Although I was not near my camera to capture a photo at the time, when the sun started to set this cloud developed a beautiful red color. The bottom photo shows a lenticular cloud that formed near Long's Peak, as seen from the Bear Lake parking lot.
The first time a flatlander (like me) sees these clouds, it is a pleasant surprise. The mountains also are excellent generators of rainbows in the summer. Stay tuned for a rainbow post in a few months (I hope).
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