Lenticular clouds are so named because they are lens shaped. They form over very high mountains, although I have heard of some that didn't. I used to see them on Mt. Rainier all the time. The popular expression in Western WA was that Mt. Rainier was wearing her hat. The most dramatic ones I ever saw are in the photo in this blog's header. I broke A LOT of traffic laws trying to get home that day, December 5, 2008. I didn't routinely take my camera to work with me every day, so when I left for home that Friday afternoon and saw the clouds when I got on Highway 16 in Tacoma, I had the pedal to the metal. They could dissipate at any time. I called my office to tell Steve and Debby because I knew they'd want to see them. I called Brian at home and told him to get my camera and wait in the driveway with it. I flew into the yard, and he practically tossed it through my window because I don't remember actually stopping the car, so that I could get to a good vantage point to shoot.
The following sunrise photos were taken on December 23, 2009, from the same place I shot the 2008 picture (I had a fave mountain-shooting spot in Bonney Lake).
They are sometimes mistaken for UFOs
A teensy one on Christmas Day, 2009.
These were also pretty funky. I shot this on January 26, 2011. At that time, I had already decided I was going to pursue a new life with Russell on the east coast, so it was somewhat bittersweet, knowing that these would probably be last ones I'd see. And they were.
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