"Newps" wrote

On clear sunny days after about 11 am it
gets too turbulent to fly in the mountains, you run into those
downdrafts you talk about. Get up early and you can fly over the
mounatin passes at a few hundred feet agl as easily as you fly over
anywhere else.

What was that noise I just heard?

Oh, never mind. It was just my BS detector going off.

Mountain waves can be present at any time of the day, when the wind
conditions are right. Remind me not to take any mountain flying lessons
from you.
--
Jim in NC